[kheslin]

I bought what I think is a decent set of rollers last winter but I can't for the life of me get good at riding them. I've tried the door frame thing and while I don't fall down, I can't seem to go for more than 30 seconds or so before I need to grab something to right myself. Pushing through the "dead" spot in my pedal stroke seems to be the problem.

I can hold a line on the road, and I don't bump into anything or fall down often. What am I doing wrong?

I'm using a fixed gear bike, if that makes a difference. I've tried flipping the hub to the single speed side (rather than fixed) but it didn't seem to help very much.

[kheslin]

For what it is worth, I think the root of my problem is that as I pedal through the dead spot in my spin (ex: right pedal at 12 o'clock, left pedal at 6 o'clock), the uneven force disrupts my balance. I'm not using straps or clipless pedals, should I need to?

[Xela]

A secondary advantage of rollers it that they really show you the weaknesses in your pedal stroke. I can spin up to 120 to 130 rpms on a trainer, but only about 110 on the rollers. What kind of rpms are you having to turn on that SS? And, yes, I do believe clipless would make a huge difference, especially at eliminating your dead spot.

[bicycletrainer]

I had that same issue and decided to strictly go the stable indoor bike trainer route. I've had the opportunity to try a bunch of trainers and specifically like the Kinetic Road Machine.

[flanderscycling]

Originally Posted by Xela

A secondary advantage of rollers it that they really show you the weaknesses in your pedal stroke. I can spin up to 120 to 130 rpms on a trainer, but only about 110 on the rollers. What kind of rpms are you having to turn on that SS? And, yes, I do believe clipless would make a huge difference, especially at eliminating your dead spot.

What's the use of a +110 rpm spin?
Sure you can't control your stroke at that rpm! It's not natural.....

To get a real good circle, you should exercise @ 80-90 rpm and than step by step higher (if you feel to)
Even Cancellara never goes faster than 110-115 rpm!
Only track racers sometimes go faster than 115 (they have single speed and fixed hub)

[retromike3]

You might think about how loose you are on the bike. I don't think it is the speed of your cadence but how smooth you are with your stroke.

What I do is try to focus on a distance about four feet in front of your front wheel and just don't sweet it to start with. watch for the death grip on the bars and stay off of the brakes. All I do on my track bike is rollers any more and I run a pretty small gear I have a 39 in the front and a 16 in the back so that gives me a 64 inch gear. If you take it easy and let your body loosen up it will find its balance.

think about making little circles with you feet, don't try to mash them down on the pedals what I always look for is a smooth stroke and check to see if your saddle position is correct.

P.S. its good to have a fan close by to you can keep from cooking yourself.

mike F

[mars_yeldir]

I find that the rollers give your core/balance muscles a workout. After being on the rollers for a while, I get wobbly and can feel the workout there as well. Like others have said, when I concentrate on smooth pedal stroke, the wheel speed goes up with the same effort and the bike stays straighter. I have to concentrate all the time to stay on the rollers though. Some have rollerblade wheels on the front roller that act like stops. My rollers do not have those, but I am thinking of adding them.