wew@mgweed.UUCP (Ed Weiss) (10/23/85)
Gene, Good idea to buy Kreitler rollers!!! I have MTD rollers which I've ridden for three winters. They are fine but last year I had a chance to ride Krietlers in a roller race and boy, is there a difference! Very smooooth and quiet. The rollers themselves are heavier which gives more reesistance to sprint type accelerations and smoothness to high speed, big gear riding. It takes different people different amounts of time to learn how to ride rollers. I started out next to the washing machine in the basement, using it as support as I started. As I gained confidence (maybe3-5 minutes) I would let go a bit. Gradually, less support was needed and by the end of my first ride ( maybe 15 minutes) I was feeling pretty good about myself. The next day however was like starting all over, but came a bit faster. Four or five days later the support was needed only to get my feet in the clips and start the wheels turning. I've read of people riding no-handed and of removing shirts as you warm-up while continuing to ride. I can't do this, but really don't have any desire to do so. I ride with gym shorts and keep a couple of sections of newspaper under me to catch the sweat. By the way, I use an old frame with no brakes or deraileur, old heavy wheels with 1 1/4 clincher tires and vinyl covered saddle as my roller bike. Everything get attacked by droplets of corrosive perspiration. This saves a half hour or better of wipe down after every ride. Even this will not guarantee that some of the stuff won't get into cable housings. When you ride off rollers, you generally roll a foot or so forward and fall over if there is nothing to grab on to. I've done it a couple of times after a particulally hard, all out burst of speed. It's nothing to be afraid of. To add a wind load, I've made cardboard paddles that fit between the wheel rim and the point the spokes cross - something about 3' wide at the hub end and 1" wide at the rim end and about 10" long. I've fitted four such paddles to each wheel. The amount of air they move is surprising -- as is the amount of work they add! Rollers are great for improving technique, smoothness, line and are more interesting (less boring?) than the devices you mount your bike into. After all, you are riding your bike - just not going anywhere. Good luck. Ed Weiss
winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (11/02/85)
I can proudly say that I just tried rollers for the first time last night and I really think they are alot more interesting than the standard type of wind trainer. It only took a few minutes to get the hang of it, although at first I thought I'd never work up the nerve to let go of the shelf I was using to support myself. It seems that one's riding form would really improve from using rollers, especially in conjuction with some type of wind resistance attachment. -Leslie Winters