My dearest has treated me to a set of Tacx Antares rollers for my birthday – I’ve been pondering them for a while but have never ridden rollers.

I’ll be using the track bike on them, in a doorway !!

What else do I need to know ??

Just find a suitable hook in the corner of the shed/garage and then come back to them in a couple of years to stick them on Ebay.

Don’t look down, keep your head up and look dead ahead and you’ll be fine. When you can ride no-handed or out of the saddle, consider it mastered!

Rollers are great. Enjoy mine.

Spend some time on setup, front roller needs to be just in front of the front hub, not too far. Makes a big difference in handling.

First ride might be tricky. They get easier quickly. Cadence drills are good fun, 90rpm, spin up to 120, drop to 60 etc.

Watch something to keep you entertained, but watch out for headcam footage, wrecks your balance!

Great, some good ideas, thanks

Oh, and a big fan helps keep you cool.
I got one on a deal from ScrewFix think it’s 18″ 3 or 4 speed.

Noisy, but I use headphones and baby monitor with lights in eyesight. Let’s me exercise when the Mrs is out.

lolz at Hamishthecat

My wife did the same and got me some for Xmas after I was complaining of being unfit (but can’t get out midweek due to family duties)

Have to say first couple of minutes were a disaster, I literally rode off them but soon sussed it.

Been a few weeks and I watch Netflix to relieve boredom but still can’t bend down to get a bottle from the cage so I keep it on a table next to me at “grab” height.

So I have the front roller centre 3 inches in front of hub – is that about right, or too much ?

too much, its got some diagrams in the instructions. Think mine is about 1 or 2 cm…..

http://wwwstatic3.tacx.nl/Media/Default/Manuals/Rollers/T1100_Galaxia_T1000_Antares-manual-web.pdf

Book an appointment at A&E?

Thanks, following instructions with a measured wheelbase of 780mm puts in on the shortest setting, with axle about 1cm in front of centre of front roller, hence query….

Indeed Colin, proceeding with caution 🙂

Get junior to film you, post it up here!

😀

Wheel axle should be about 2cm behind centre of front roller.

Cheers, sorted now, will have a try later…

Concentrate on looking ahead and not down at the front wheel otherwise you end up correcting too much and risk getting into a bit of a tankslapper.

Fixed gear track bike? Do rollers have any resistance?

Yes fixed gear, seems to work for proper track riders for warming up.

Great for z2 rides, way less boring than a turbo. Use them to improve your pedalling efficiency (one legged efforts can help this particularly on a track bike).

A good way to gauge your fitness and improvements is to do a 10mile tt on them (anyone who thinks they are easy try to do one!).

Make sure your tyres are pumped up as hard as they wll go.

Bluetooth headphones

Buy some glue, for fixing the bearings in place once they start rumbling loudly
They’re great for pedal technique and balancing through your core rather than arms. Also I find they’re a life saving alternative to me going outside to crash on black ice on those borderline winter days..

Bookmarked for kettles rumbly linky…Mine are heading that way 👿

First session completed without injury 🙂

Getting started a bit tricky, once spinning the looking ahead tip kept me sorted.

Need to find a cooler spot than kitchen doorway at 21 degrees temp. Had TV on to distract from the clock, half an hour and I was dripping all over the laminate so stopped !

Its worth getting the Tacx sweat cover too – makes a mess of the paintwork if you don’t clean it properly

Tacx vortex user.

Aim to do training before heating comes on. Cheap fan helps. Drinks on hand and small towel. TV, computer or IPad ideal for training apps, films TV. Most systems will do a minimal overlay on the screen. 1.5 hours today watching Red Dwarf