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Indoor Time Trials

Out of interest, where do you guys have your rollers set up? I used them quite a lot in the UK, but that was in a proper house built from Yorkshire stone, on the ground floor, with no neighbours.

God only know what kind of noise they must kick out here in paper-house ville...
 
I have mine in 1 of 2 locations. Either in the living room doing sufferfest videos on the 48inch TV giving it hell for leather or in the office while cruising along watchin UK Tv or other stuff you can't get here.

I have the rollers set up on a rubber mat and also some ribbed rubber blocks, these can be bought from the hardware store and are designed to absorb shocks and vibrations so the only real noise is the tire on the drum.

Several companies make specific tires for rollers that with this set up reduce the noise to almost zero. I'm actually more worried about the Euro Beats thumping out the stereo system while riding than I am the trainer trying to do an impression of the 747 doing a quarter mile drag race.
 
Like James, rollers set up in one of two locations, though not quite as glamorous! On the balcony or in the garage.

I like the balcony, especially in the winter, as you are exposed to the elements which reminds you / motivates you to do the training. However, it disturbs the neighbours so it's limited to between 7am and 9pm.

The garage is good to go anytime. There is also the advantage of being able to leave your kit set up day after day.

I've definitely been converted to rollers after buying a set from Mike last winter. I used to ride a staionary trainer but I can't imagine I'll ever use it again....

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com
 
I picked up some used CycleOps aluminum rollers last month and have really enjoyed them. I live in a typical "manshon," but being on the first floor and in the corner of the building, noise is not a major concern. And these babies definitely kick out out some noise; mainly, it seems, from the tires humming over the fast-spinning drums.

My apartment is a 3 LDK, and I use the rollers in a room that we use as a kind of walk-in closet/storage space.

The sweat. Dang, I'm like Niagara Falls on those things. I actually drape Saran Wrap over the stem/headset area to keep those bits dry, and lay a towel under the bike. One of these days, I'll have to purchase one of those Bicycle Bikinis, or whatever those dedicated sweat-catchers are called.

My rollers came with a magnetic attachment that enables me to increase the resistance. I set that sucker about a millimeter from the rear-most drum and commence spinning. Holding 60kph for 20 minutes with that setup might be asking too much even for the likes of Andy! Banging out reps of two-minute intervals at 45kph is hard enough. :warau:

I'd been wanting rollers for a few years. And now that I have them, I am happy to say that I love them. I will say, however, that I tend to get numb in the nether regions when using rollers, as changing seating positions while riding -- such as getting out of the saddle -- is not much of an option. Reading other forums, I have found that numbness is a common issue when using rollers. Anyone else experience this?

Deej
 
Yes.... learn to ride no handed and learn to get out the saddle. (Your climbing will seriously improve if you can master out of saddle riding on rollers) andyes I also suffer from numb arse and nutz whendoing over 1 hour on the rollers.

And as Deej points out you sweat alot so perfect for loosing weight!

This video was taken 2009 and I weighed 98.8kg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdVYTuG8TLM
 
Yes.... learn to ride no handed and learn to get out the saddle. (Your climbing will seriously improve if you can master out of saddle riding on rollers) andyes I also suffer from numb arse and nutz whendoing over 1 hour on the rollers.

And as Deej points out you sweat alot so perfect for loosing weight!

This video was taken 2009 and I weighed 98.8kg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdVYTuG8TLM

Funny, that video reminds me of an evening at a friend Carl's house, his roomy William had a set of those and had only been using them for a week or so, we were sitting in the living room watching TV and William was in the hallway spinning away, he was sprinting really hard when he came off the rollers! Suddenly William streaked through the room, half on and half off the bike, and banged right into the wall beside the TV. Carl clicked the remote and turned off the TV and said "Screw that, this is more fun to watch!" :D]

The bike was OK, so was William, but there was a hole in the wall where his head hit and there was a burnt streak on the carpet about a foot long where the wheels touched down, TOO FUNNY:eek:

Be careful on those things guys!:angel:
 
Stu.... funny because I've deliberatly bunny hopped the bike off the rollers to see what would happen. Basically half the time nothing, sometimes I will get wheel spin as if I pulled a massive skid but I've never been able get the bike to continue any forward motion.
 
Deej,

My rollers don't have resistence so I rely on cadence to get the heart rate up. With a bit of resistence or an 11 tooth cog, I could go a little bit faster! Speed on rollers is only relative anyway, but a good way to monitor your progress non the less.

For the sweat issue, I find wrapping a small towel around your head makes a big difference.

And for numbness, I stop every ten minutes (or two songs) and unclip at least one foot to stand, take a big swig of drink and change the towel on the head. For an hour session: 6 or 7 towels, 3 or 4 bottles.

James, remember sweat loss doesn't equal weight loss!

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
And for numbness, I stop every ten minutes (or two songs) and unclip at least one foot to stand, take a big swig of drink and change the towel on the head. For an hour session: 6 or 7 towels, 3 or 4 bottles.

Good advice, Andy. I've read about others who also stop every 10 minutes. I'll have to start doing something similar. I've been gutting it out, loath to break my rhythm, or whatever, but the numbness ain't pleasant.

With a bit of resistence ... I could go a little bit faster

I don't doubt you're strong, but with my resistance setup, I'm guessing you could hold 60kph for about 1 minute, max. :)

learn to ride no handed and learn to get out the saddle.

I can actually get out of the saddle on my rollers, but it's such a different maneuver compared with doing it on the road that it doesn't feel like a practical way to ease my numbness. In my fatigued state from intervals, I'd probably topple over. Same thing with riding no-handed -- I'm so crushed from the intervals that I would almost certainly fall.
 
Stu.... funny because I've deliberatly bunny hopped the bike off the rollers to see what would happen. Basically half the time nothing, sometimes I will get wheel spin as if I pulled a massive skid but I've never been able get the bike to continue any forward motion.
It could be that William soaking wet in snow boots might have weighed 140lbs :D

Also this was a basement suite, while at Uni, so the room was not large, maybe only 10' wide
 
Jules..... the beer was in the other video. :D

I should take a video of me doing one of the sufferfest videos.... those things are brutal and it would be a hand gun to put me out of my misery I reach for not the drink
 
Rain forecast for the next couple of days. I've been focusing on short rides of high intensity recently. As I was on the rollers today, I thought I'd have a go at beating my 20 min TT record.

Today's TT:

HR: 169 AV / 182 MAX
Dist: 21.2 km
Speed: 63.6 kmph AV (66.8 kmph MAX)
Cadence: 114 AV (126 AV)
Temp: 19C
Gear: 50 × 11
Bike: LYNSKEY

Really happy with 63.6 kmph and where my training is going.

As for the TT itself, I made the classic mistake of going too hard too early. My strategy next time will be to ride comfortably at 62 kmph for 10 minutes. Do the next 7 minutes at 64 kmph and then go full gas for the last 3 minutes.

If the weather continues like this, that might be sooner rather than later…

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Today's TT:

HR: 169 AV / 180 MAX
Speed: 63.4 kmph AV (67.0 kmph MAX)
Cadence: 112 AV (127 MAX)
Temp: Approx 20C
Gear: 50 × 11
Bike: LYNSKEY

In September, I did 63.6 kmph

I had excellent form then, so just 0.2 kmph slower today is a good value.

Like last time, I made the classic mistake of going too hard too early. I should have read what I said in September "My strategy next time will be to ride comfortably at 62 kmph for 10 minutes. Do the next 7 minutes at 64 kmph and then go full gas for the last 3 minutes."

Save that till next time then!

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
That seems awfully fast:cool::eek:

Out of curiosity, How fast would you ride the same distance on a riverside cycle track for instance? In other words what is the wind/bumps/slight elevation changes worth?
 
'He is using rollers with no resistance - lube them up get the bearings and the spindles set perfectly and away you go!
 
Yeah I know, That is why I was curious as to how fast he goes with wind.
I want to know how much wind resistance is worth...:)
 
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