1st session on rollers!

pjh

Well after reading lots of threads on rollers and the do's and don'ts I took the plunge and ordered a set of Tacx Antares from Wiggle (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Tacx_ ... 360039479/)

It's defintely weird with a capital 'W' and took me a few minutes to dare to let go of the wall I was leaning on!

You don't quite get the gyroscopic stabilising effect of the wheels spinning that you might expect and I was expecting the bike to become more stable as I got pedalling. It does but not as much as you think it will .... so you have to balance.

Quite unnerving for the first 10 minutes .... BUT it's so much better than a static turbo trainer IMHO

I loved it and clocked up a respectable 45 minutes for my first attempt and covered 13.9 miles.

I was also surprised by the workout I got (soaked in sweat)! I'm looking forward to another session tonight where I'll be doing some intervals to break it up some

If you're like me and have found a static turbo insanely boring, give rollers a go. It's a very different experience requiring you to concentrate (it is possible to fall of (I did twice) but when you do it's not big deal ... you just put your foot down!)

By the way - don't used 'clipped-in pedals' .... ahem that would hurt if you hit the garage floor :oops:

synchronicity

Interesting. I always wanted to get a set. At the moment I have other priorities though and the weather is never that bad here.

I guess that if you fall you don't have to put your foot forward and down as there is no forward momentum!

I'm suprised you worked up a sweat... thanks for the info.

whyamihere

I clip in on mine. I actually fell off for the first time in months this morning, had an old TDF DVD on and pointed out Armstrong riding off road after Beloki's crash to my brother, lost balance and went off the side. :oops:

Rich-Ti

I've had my first two roller sessions this weekend too - sooooo much better than using a turbo!

Not fallen off them yet, and I also ride clipped in - I think it's important to be clipped in as one of the biggest benefits of the rollers as far as I can see is the need to work on your technique to keep things smooth. I find muscles that I don't normally notice building up lactic acid because they're getting used so much more.

A very worthwhile purchase if you ask me 8)

synchronicity

whyamihere wrote:

I clip in on mine. I actually fell off for the first time in months this morning, had an old TDF DVD on and pointed out Armstrong riding off road after Beloki's crash to my brother, lost balance and went off the side. :oops:

Well that's kind of ironic...

pjh

Rich-Ti wrote:

I think it's important to be clipped in as one of the biggest benefits of the rollers as far as I can see is the need to work on your technique to keep things smooth. I find muscles that I don't normally notice building up lactic acid because they're getting used so much more.

A very worthwhile purchase if you ask me 8)

I agree Rich-Ti. As soon as I am confident that I won't ride off the edge I'll put my SPD-SL pedals back on

Just as an extra comment ... I find it much more like riding a 'fixie' when on the rollers (if you stop pedalling the wheels stop rotating very quickly i.e. in about a second or two) .... so the workout is much more continuous.

As for the earlier comment about working up a sweat I think that's just due to the lack of moving air you normally get when out, but I burnt a similar amount of calories and attained similar heart rate to what I get normally ... which surprised me

whyamihere

synchronicity wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

I clip in on mine. I actually fell off for the first time in months this morning, had an old TDF DVD on and pointed out Armstrong riding off road after Beloki's crash to my brother, lost balance and went off the side. :oops:

Well that's kind of ironic...

Indeed. I can change a jersey without stopping, drinking takes no effort at all, and I fall off pointing at the damn TV... Oh well.

STEFANOS4784

whyamihere wrote:

I clip in on mine. I actually fell off for the first time in months this morning, had an old TDF DVD on and pointed out Armstrong riding off road after Beloki's crash to my brother, lost balance and went off the side. :oops:

BEST TDF moment ever imho

hopper1

Rich-Ti & pjh.
How do you rate the natural resistance you get during your sessions?
I'm thinking of getting a set of CycleOps Rollers, with resistance.
What do you reckon?

Paul

hopper1

Rich-Ti & pjh.
How do you rate the natural resistance you get during your sessions?
I'm thinking of getting a set of CycleOps Rollers, with resistance.
What do you reckon?

Paul

Rich-Ti

hopper1 wrote:

Rich-Ti & pjh.
How do you rate the natural resistance you get during your sessions?
I'm thinking of getting a set of CycleOps Rollers, with resistance.
What do you reckon?

Paul

So far so good for me, but I can imagine it would reach a point where you're good / fast / fit enough for it to become nigh-on negligable, in which case I could see a need for extra resistance.

pjh

Agree with Rich-Ti again!

I think the better the rollers the less natural resistance ... or at least I would imagine that to be the case.

For me it's difficult to see a time when my rollers wouldn't give a good workout ... but a different kind of workout to a turbo.

I can imagine that I would tend to do faster spinning sessions ....learning to increase my cadence and stamina. For most people (even fitter people) spinning at 110 for 15 minutes would be a good workout (can't see many not getting a sweat going)!

Plus of course you can get out of your saddle on rollers and really go for it in a high gear for some intervals.

Hope that helps.

popette

pjh wrote:

Agree with Rich-Ti again!

Plus of course you can get out of your saddle on rollers and really go for it in a high gear for some intervals.

Hope that helps.

I haven't managed to get off my saddle yet. I'm pretty much clamped on once I start and have only just got myself to the stage where I can lift a hand off the bars and wipe the sweat off my face (nice!). It would be good to get off the saddle because sitting in once position for half an hour can get a bit sore. Is it possible then?

pjh

popette wrote:

I haven't managed to get off my saddle yet. I'm pretty much clamped on once I start and have only just got myself to the stage where I can lift a hand off the bars and wipe the sweat off my face (nice!). It would be good to get off the saddle because sitting in once position for half an hour can get a bit sore. Is it possible then?

Popette take a look at the link below

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D4lA1Yd2Jzc

I can't do this yet but a number of folks on this forum talk about changing their jersey while cycling on rollers! (yikes)

John C.

First of all welcome to the world of rollers I always clip in, when I really wind it up I'd hate to think my feet were going to slip off. Also when you get up off the saddle make sure you don't go off the back of the rollers :oops: . Just remember to keep every thing smooth and you will be fine, riding no hands and removing tops in no time . Just mind the cat. :oops:

Red Devil

Hello,

Rollers
this thread has been very helpful - just a quick query do you have to use trainer tyres is this advisable ??
Started out very enthusiastically cycling however time /work balance currently against me so this may be a compromise at least for the time being.
As long as i can let go of the wall that is
Considering getting the set from Wiggle as seems best price available.

Chris

whyamihere

Trainer tyres aren't necessary. Rollers don't wear the tyre any more than riding on the road does, turbo trainers push the drum hard into the wheel which accelerates the wear.

You'll get off the wall eventually, took me about 30 minutes to get confident.

little wiser

hi thanks for all the info i have got from you all just ordered my first set off rollers tacx advance should be with me in afew days any thing i should do when i set em up or for my first go? or is it just a case off get on and try not to crash :oops: im so excited to try em thanks to whyamihere and pjh for there help any more from any one gratefully recieved

whyamihere

Adjust the front drum to be either directly below the front hub or a couple of cm in front. Then, either set yourself up in a doorway, or put a couple of high-backed chairs either side of you so that you have something to grab if you go off, a doorway is better because it's more stable. Start off in a medium gear, bear in mind that balancing is a lot easier above 15mph, and don't worry about going fast and coming off because you WON'T shoot off across the garage.

Good luck.

robrauy

I've had a couple of short sessions on my rollers and feel pretty comfortable to go for longer, so I'm planning to do a proper session today, but not really sure how long or what intensity to aim for ?

Could anyone suggest a good starting point ? - I was thinking around 1hr would be ideal ?

Many thanks,

Rob

c12345

John C. wrote:

. Just mind the cat. :oops:

That story had me in stitches! well worth repeating for those that haven't heard it...

John C.

c12345 wrote:

John C. wrote:

. Just mind the cat. :oops:

That story had me in stitches! well worth repeating for those that haven't heard it...

I'd just started to get the hang of balancing, I'd changed gear, wobbled but stayed on, getting your water bottle out of the cage is another thing that needs to be mastered, Any way I was getting used to the rollers, the cat was getting used to me, she'd often wander around whilst I was peddling away, this time she came up towards me on my left hand side but changed her mind just in front of me and turned across in front of me. I swerved :oops: My wife heard the noise, I didn't get any sympathy

hopper1

Well, I got my CycleOps rollers (with resistance), yesterday.
Mad rush to get them set up (easy), put a pair of shorts on and headed back to the garage.
Got clipped in and started off, felt a bit odd, wobbly, but I was determined to concentrate on the ride, not the potential accident, so, I let go of the wall......
Down I went! :shock: My God, that happened quick. Bruised right ankle and left knee. :oops:
I honestly thought the wife was going to wet herself, as I struggled to release my left foot from the pedal, mind you, I was laughing, too, imagining what it must have looked like!
Today, it was raining, but I still went out on the road for two hours, rather than face the vicious rollers lurking in my garage.
I'll bring them into the house tomorrow, and try again, this time in a door way.

popette

I found it quite good to lean my shoulder against the wall whilst pedaling and then gradually peel myself off it by pushing my arm/elbow against it, hands still on the handlebars if you know what I mean. On my first proper attempt, it took me over 6 mins to let go of the wall - I managed quite well for a while and then fell off like you.
Keep going - it really is great when you conquer them

Rich-Ti

After 4 or 5 sessions I'm really starting to get the hang of mine - wobbles are easily corrected and I can even happily 'weave' the bike on them. I struggle with getting my bottle for a drink (right hand easier than left, which is odd as I usually always use my left when actually out on the road!), or with wiping sweat away, and am not brave enough to try no-handed yet.

Got out of the saddle for the first time yesterday though which is really good - you really have to focus on your technique then, and the burn in my thighs was quite intense afterwards! :shock:

jonty1977

been using my rollers for a year now.

I started of riding in a doorway but I found up against the inside of the garage door the best. I could lean my shoulder against it gently if I needed to and the cross bar/metal ribs of the garage were great to reach out and grab anywhere if i felt i was going off.

Took me about 4 or 5 goes before i felt i'd got it right.

little wiser

yeah baby my rollers have come gotta say i am loving wiggle at moment (refer a friend) friend my mom lol so got a free set off glasses which look cool and a voucher to me for 10% of her order. we ordered em late monday night came wed morning with free delievery will use them a lot more so going to set em up tonight and try tommorrow night after work wish me luck!!!!!! :shock:

little wiser

well could not wait to try em was on em for around 20 mins and worked up a little sweat one crash which was totally my fault got cocky let go off wall and bang no damage and the easiest crash i have ever had wife thought it funny as well . towards the end managed to loose wall and hold tops off bars for a little while and i have gotta say so much more fun than a turbo IMHO. not sure if got length right though used tacx set up guide and front hub is just behind middle off roller is this right?. cannot wait to try again tommorow night and when i have built a good base fitness perhaps meet up with a few folks for a ride?

John C.

Just a little note, all this wobbling WILL pay dividends in the future. On the big steep hills where others are wobbling, you will be in full control making it easier to back off to almost stationary then powering past. It will get easier, honest. I generally cool off with a slowest ride possible getting down to about 3 mph before putting an arm out onto the bench.
My typical workouts are using mileage and HRM.

1 1/2 mile warm up

3 mins 60%
1 min getting up to 80%
3 mins 80%
1 min getting down to 60%
repeat 3 times, cool down

this gives a 1/2 hour easy work out
(I accept the experts on this forum will say this is too easy)

try 20/40 mins at 80%

And they say rollers don't give a proper workout

Red Devil

This thread is really good - one more novice question about rollers !
I have not as yet invested in any new fangled bike (its on my list)
So have an old Claud Butler with gear lever on lower stem.... so I guess changin gear is gonna be interesting ...yes?
Should I wait til I got a new bike or just go for it - plus is Wiggle the cheapest at mo ?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Chris
( any novice bikers very novice that is near me Devils Bridge area Mid Wales) aged 40ish so I can keep up

popette

John C. wrote:

Just a little note, all this wobbling WILL pay dividends in the future. On the big steep hills where others are wobbling, you will be in full control making it easier to back off to almost stationary then powering past. :

This happened to me yesterday. My garmin was showing gradients well over 20% (two arrows on OS map) I somehow lost momentum and came to a stop whilst clipped in. I was certain to fall but somehow managed to stay upright and with a giant roar of "come on" I put in a huge effort and turned the pedal and carried on going. I will never power past people on a hill like that but at least I managed to stay up when I would most likely have fallen in the past.