A question about Rollers - Page 2

I just picked up a new road bike and am looking forward to getting back into riding after a 20 year drought.

My problem is, living in Canada, we will be starting the winter season before long.

I want to get a trainer so I can ride all winter and drop quite a bit of weight.

So for pure weight loss goals during the winter season which has the advantage; rollers or mag/fluid trainers?  I would love to pick up some rollers but am concerned that the lack of additional resistance might do me no good.  For rollers I was thinking the Nashbar aluminum rollers then if need be the resistance accessory from www.branfordbike.com .

Before I get flamed for not searching these fine forums, I have gone through literally dozens of threads but have yet to see questions regarding which would be better for weight loss.

thanks

roger

neither... you will lose more weight with cross country skiing or going into a fitness plan in the gym.

Cycling indoor training is mainly a way to keep your existent fitness in shape.

And then there is the age factor, i guess you have a certain old age after 20 years off, so you will find out that your body fat is much harder to burn than it used to be.

One way or the other i would still get rollers or a trainer as a complement of other exercises, to keep you up on your bike and motivated for next year 2011.

the answer is "it depends"

which one would you ride more?

how fit are you?

i have a cheap set of performance rollers with no resistance unit.  they max out at ~ 230 watts resistance.  when i'm in shape i can hold that power for 4ish hours.  

my trainer goes to ~ triple that resistance

while weight loss is more a function of diet than exercise, i can burn more calories on my trainer in my typical 1h15m - 1h30m session than i could on rollers

if a trainer bores the heck out of you to the extent that you're only going to ride 1-2 times/week, but you're willing to ride rollers 6 days/week, then rollers are probably a better choice

How fit?  Well, areobically pretty good.  Last year I started at 280lbs (5ft10) and am now at 240lbs.  That has mainly been through running.  I am slow, but can run 10km straight through.

I have realized that I really missed riding so I just picked up my Giant last week.  Beautifully smooth bike.

My eventual goal is around 170lbs.   I did it before when I was 20 years old; went from 250 down to 165 with a ton of saddle time.  Then life, marriage, kids, job, blah, blah.  So now I am 42, kids are much older, divorced and I want to get back into shape.

I had a trainer years ago but hated it and I obviously paid the price.

So I have been leaning towards getting rollers.  One LBS has a set of the Minoura Action Roller Advance for around $225 (these are aluminium so I could get a resistance bolt-on).  Or Nashbar has their aluminum rollers on for $100.

Diet will definitely play a big factor, I realize.

Thanks

Lower the pressure in your tires. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by hippie 

I have the Cycle ops PVC Rollers. Does anyone know of a way to add resistance to them ?.

Fold up an old towel and place it under the rear drum with the edges of the towel pinned under the rear legs of the rollers so the towel stays put. Fold the towel more times to make it thicker to add resistance and fold it fewer times so it just rubs a bit for less added resistance. Start with just a bit of added resistance as it really reduces the coast down time of your bike on the rollers so it takes some getting used to. Use an old towel as the friction will leave marks on the towel that won't wash off.

-Dave

I have a set of Minoura Advance rollers and I LOVE them!  I like the aluminum drum material over the PVC.  I would also recommend getting the front 'bumpers' to keep your front wheel from jumping off the roller.  Mine have saved my bacon many times.  I usually ride about 50 mins and alternate some sprints into my routine to get the blood flowing.  I find that if I work a sprint into the routine earlier on I get a better workout as my heatrate is elevated for sooner and longer.  Hope you enjoy your rollers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GetSetGoSports 

I would suggest just riding them for a few weeks or whatever until you are very comfortable on them.

Then start designing specific workouts to meet your training goals.

 

Also learn to stand up every once in a while to relieve saddle pressure.  This can be a bit tricky.

Reason: most rollers tend to put more tension on the crotch due to the slight upward angle they force the bike into (the rear wheel is often a bit lower between the rear rollers, while the front wheel is often perched on the top of the front roller).

 

 

 

I haven't noticed any more tension on the crotch... unless you are changing the length of your arms??
 

That's an interesting idea about putting the towel under the back I'll try that.

I do find it a bit more interesting riding rollers than a Turbo Trainer as atleast you have to balance. Problem I have is I'm a bit rusty on them and fell off a few times trying to wipe the sweat from my face with a towel.

I just need a bit more practice, especially frustrating as my friend on his rollers next to me is able to ride no handed and one legged on his (I don't mean his has no hands and one leg)!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattcreed 

That's an interesting idea about putting the towel under the back I'll try that.

Putting a towel under a drum will ruin consistency of rollers + HRM. I don't have a PM and monitor workload with speed and heart rate.

I'm an average cyclist, I guess my FTP is around 4.0-4.2 w/kg and compact cranks with 11-25 cassette make rollers quite punishing exercise. I did CTS Field Test recently on my rollers and I spun 50x11 with 101-105 rpm. Standard cranks, higher cadence and lower pressure might extend resistance up to 20% more. I guess that's quite enough resistance for tempo workouts even for a Cat II/Cat I and speed work doesn't require any resistance at all. I've got Tacx Antares rollers, they have conical plastic drums which are about 3.5" or ~90 mm in diameter in the middle section.