Anything to stop me using a 26" hard tail with slicks on a set of rollers or anything to consider if doing so?
A serious lack of time at the moment is causing me to consider a set.
Make sure the front hub is over the roller, not in front or behind it, adjustment may be needed if the roller was set up for a road bike.
Ok thanks will do cheers for the reply.
On a related note I was looking at a cheapish Elite Parbolic set set on CRC. Any other starter rollers to consider? I won't be spending hours on them. Probabbly half our sessions two or tree times a week while the wife watches Corie.
If you can stretch to some aluminium rollers then I would - IME they are nicer to ride on (smoother) than the Elites or equivalent.
Amazon were doing some Cyclops ones for reasonable money a few weeks back...and they had the option to retrofit resistance to it for future proofing etc.
Riding MTB is fine, the less tread the better though (so full slick if poss) to avoid any buzz or annoying noise.
Cheers
<hijack> swedish chef, what kind of rollers do you have? I have now mastered standing out of the saddle on mine, and going to get ones with resistance, but don't need the free motion ones anymore. Torn between cycleops aliuminum ones w resistance, or the elite arion mag w resistance.
Why would you go for resistance? I'm interested. I though rollers were about getting a cardio workout....
Rollers are about getting a *workout*. Same as a turbo. If you add resistance to rollers you get the strength workout possibilities that you can with a turbo, but with all the added benefits of rollers.
Thanks, will go for those ones 😀
Because there's no resistance on my rollers, and in my hardest gear and cadence of 100-120, I dont think i can get into low Z4, never mind higher zones. Much prefer rollers to turbo.Why would you go for resistance? I'm interested. I though rollers were about getting a cardio workout....
[i]Because there's no resistance on my rollers, and in my hardest gear and cadence of 100-120, I dont think i can get into low Z4, never mind higher zones. [/i]
pedal faster 🙂
I picked up these: http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/training/trainers/minoura-trainers/minoura-action-roller-advance.html
Seemed a bit sturdier than the elites, aluminium rollers and packed down small enough to go under my bed. Seemed a good deal for £130 (once you take the web discount off).
Rollers are going to be my next purchase and problably the Swedish Chef ones too.
Question; how safely can you do HIIT on them? I know a lot will be down to rider ability but what are the like when you're flat out, close to vommiting with blurred vision?
[i]Question; how safely can you do HIIT on them? I know a lot will be down to rider ability but what are the like when you're flat out, close to vommiting with blurred vision? [/i]
they're fine.
Guys thanks for all the advice. I'll take a look at what aluminium ones are about.
How much resistance do they offer? Presumeably if it's too much you just fire off the front...
They are noticeably harder to use when you've got a head cold - I noticed that as I wobbled away last night...
Mulletus Maximus, I shall let you know very soon but fine i think, esp if you are happy on them. The ones i've got have no bits to stop you falling off on, and i've only fallen twice. Once when the bf distracted me when i was mentally tired. The 2nd time was when i was learning to ride standing out of the saddle. I'm using mine about 2-3 times a week (soon to be more since its the only way i can ride, so 6-7 times a week) and feel so happy on them compared to using once every now and then. I'm working up to one legged and no handed. No handed is a bit scary tho, one legged is a case of convincing myself to unclip which isn't easy! But as I said, once you are happy on them, I assume you can do HIIT fine with resistance ones as Swedish Chef does.
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I recommend the JetBlack aluminium rollers. £135 at Ribble, they're pretty solid and do the job well. Plastic just doesn't seem the right thing in my mind for the job. The rear roller is adjustable in it's position so should be fine for your MTB.
The bearings are cartridge if you need to service them and the finish is nicely machined on the cylinders. Pop something like a bit of newspaper under the front chainring if you have an oily chain to avoid any marks on your carpet 😳
Learn in a corridor/with things to lean on and relax, you'll get the hang of it. When I've slipped off the tyre has just come to a stop on the frame of the rollers, nothing to worry about. Oh and move by steering the bars, not leaning the bike to correct any wandering!
Is there enough resistance in things like the jetblack ones above to work as hard as you can possibly go? I wouldn't like the thought of just spinning out in top gear and wasting time!
OP no problem, as said just make sure they are set up properly.
Glasgowdan, depends what you wanna do. Sprint intervals normal ones aint great, i tend to do TT efforts. Have a good warm up, then sit cranking 53-11 over at 120rpm like racing a time trial, HR upto 170 odd, so not too far off threshhold.
DGOAB, have you currently got floating ones? Which ones? And what are they like compared with normal rollers?
I have the standard Elite Arions http://www.elite-it.com/arion/
However they do the same version with resistance.
Oli no i don't - decided i don't need them since i can stand up now on the blue tacx ones. Need to lose my death grip on the bars though 😀 Was considering the free motion ones over the rest, but there's no need for them now, so i'm getting ones with resistance instead as I'll still be able to stand up on them (hopefully!)
Ah ok, wasn't sure if you meant get rid of or don't want to get it! From all accounts i hear free motion ones are rather large and cumbersome anyway (Andrew Cox has a set, he says they pretty much stay fully built in the garage all the time)
One footed is fine (quickly teaches smooth circle pedalling!)
Try setting up some tt bars on your bike, then use them on the rollers. Quite different, but very good.
swedish chef, a question for you! I've now got the elite arion rollers with resistance. Tried them last night and they seem great but a) v noisy compared to my blue tacx ones b) there's a kind of bumpy sensation at certain points in the rollers (feels a bit like going over a rougher section of tarmac - its coming from the front wheel and i wonder if its connected to the poorly put on label in the middle of the front drum and i've been using the tacx ones for months without having had anything like that) and c) I put the resistance setting to 1 and set off to what sounded like a cat screeching.
Have you noticed anything like this or have i managed to get faulty ones?
Peal the sticker off, it's a death trap!
Not noticeably more noisy than the non resistance ones I had before, but I grant you that they are maybe not Chris King level of quality. That said mine don't screech like a cat.
Spray some WD40 in the back and see what happens.