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From: wew@mgweed.UUCP (Ed Weiss)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: re: Question re Rollers
Message-ID: <21171@mgweed.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Oct-85 14:12:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: mgweed.21171
Posted: Wed Oct 23 14:12:20 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Oct-85 01:58:43 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems - Montgomery Illinois
Lines: 70

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