Whether the weather outside has taken a turn for the worst or riding under the scorching mid-day sun isn’t your thing, then indoor training is great for keeping in shape and on top of your riding skills any time of the year. Bicycle rollers are a type of trainer that make it possible to ride your bike indoors without the necessity of moving forward, making them ideal for use in the garage, spare room or kitchen. You can even set one up while your favourite tours on TV and race every part of the way as if you were taking part.

Old School Rollers

Old school rollers.

The difference between a roller and other types of indoor bicycle trainers are that rollers don’t attach to the frame. This leaves the rider to balance for him or herself on the rollers while training. This makes the roller great for improving your balance, core strength and bike handling skills for when you hit the road. Rollers can also be used for warming up before a ride or as light day recovery. The art of rolling can be picked up quickly and the added benefits of stability and development of a smoother pedal stroke will be evident in your outdoor riding.
But rollers aren’t a modern day invention. For the last 70 years rollers have been used for roller races or gold-sprints around the world. Typically this involves two or more bikes being placed on rollers side by side. Each individual’s roller is connected to a timing system. Traditionally this is in the form of a large analogue clock with a hand representing how far each rider has travelled in terms of distance.
The heyday for roller racing was in the 1950s where races would often precede films at the cinema or take place in between dances at dance halls. Roller racing is still taking place in Britain today which largely comprises of the London bicycle messenger community organizing events under the name of Rollapaluza.

Modern roller race

Modern roller race.

However, rollers are often overlooked by a lot of cyclists due to the fact that they can take a little bit of extra time to get used to, although a lot of riders swear by them in comparison to a normal stationary trainer. Although training to avoid ‘hitting the wall’ during your next race or ride, may involve a few impacts with the floor until you get used to your new roller.

There’s the age old question; if you fall off your roller in your garage and there’s no one around to see it, does it make a sound…well only if you’re videoing it! Thanks to camera technology and the internet, there’s always someone round to watch (and hear) you fall. Here’s a few of our favourites compiled together complete with music.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN1cuVRRRzM]

However, this should not act as a deterrent to roller novices. As a certain Mr Lance Armstrong once said: “If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on”.

 

A little bit of practice and you can be as good as this guy (please note the soundtrack to this video contains some naughty words):

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yFv5Kbi4NY]

PBK recommendations for a safe rolling experience:
1. Always set up your rollers up within a short arms reach of a wall, door frame or sofa. This allows you to catch yourself if start to feel off balance.
2. Make sure the surrounding area is clear of any tools, sharp edges or household pets. If you do happen to fall you can always catch yourself.
3. Always train in the appropriate apparel and try to fix on a point in the distance rather than looking down.
4. Since rollers don’t hold the bike in place like a trainer, riding on rollers does require some practice, but once mastered is a great indoor training aid.Check out the range of training rollers on the PBK website.
What are your best/worst roller experiences and has anyone actually recorded the evidence for friends and family to share?



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ProBikeKit

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