Categories: Accessories and GearDefining MomentsLook ProRiding Ugly

Look Pro: Rollin’ Dirty

Tommy Simpson goes rollin' in the deep.

When it comes to training, no one loves riding outside and loathes riding inside more than I do. On the other hand, riding outside is dangerous, especially with something like the Tour de Trump running the show. So I’ve been working on my road safety by not riding on the road and riding my rollers instead.

The added benefit of the rollers is that I do it in the early hours of the day, when no one is stirring apart from the odd mouse, so there are no witnesses. No one wants to see a shirtless man crying. Not even a mouse.

The rollers are the quintessential winter training and warm-up device. Merckx rode them. I was going to list other people who rode them but then realized that the list is as complete as it needs to be with just that name on it. I’d never ridden them until last Spring, when Marko sent me his, saying I could have “those diabolical bastards”. I rode them on my road bike until it got light enough to accommodate morning rides outside which was twice. Then I forgot about them until we fell back again a few weeks ago. (Daylight Savings? More like Daylight Shavings.)

With the days getting short and my gut getting wide, I’ve turned once again to the rollers for my morning Spanish Turbo Sessions. Except this Fall, I’ve been riding my Don Walker track bike (which was here until ridden only for the Festum Prophetae Hour) which adds the benefit of an unforgiving fixed wheel to the fun of riding these torture devices.

On the plus side, nothing will give you a more Magnificent Stroke than this heinous combination will. Thirty minutes feels like a lifetime; forty-five like an eternity. I’ll let you know what fifty minutes feels like when I get there. At which point, much like with The Hour, I’ll no doubt climb off, citing road conditions.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

View Comments

  • @KogaLover

    @Rick

    I love these Train with GCN videos.

    How could I have overlooked these… I watch GCN regularly but focus apparently too much on how to botch-repair chain breaks or flats, besides cornering like a pro or the 10 devious ways to gain the unfair advantage against your competitor…

    You are not alone, I found them quite by accident. I much prefer the shorter more intense workouts to the longer more monotonous spinning sessions that I would have on my own. I hope you enjoy the workouts as much as I do.

  • @Rick

    is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I agree with that. The clamp is on the skewer not the frame.

    However on the general issue of No.1 bikes on trainers you should note that many manufacturers exclude trainer use from their warranties and some advise against using them - I'm talking mainly carbon frames here.

    From the general feedback on Zwift there are no particular issues with using carbon bikes on trainers and personally I think it's just a bit of ass covering from manufacturers.

    Some people have had frame failures but that happens in real life too and there doesn't seem to be any evidence of a higher incidence. The only problem might be if you're doing massive sprints the bike has less ability to flex and move so that might stress the frame.

  • @ChrisO

    @Rick

    is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I agree with that. The clamp is on the skewer not the frame.

    However on the general issue of No.1 bikes on trainers you should note that many manufacturers exclude trainer use from their warranties and some advise against using them – I’m talking mainly carbon frames here.

    From the general feedback on Zwift there are no particular issues with using carbon bikes on trainers and personally I think it’s just a bit of ass covering from manufacturers.

    Some people have had frame failures but that happens in real life too and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of a higher incidence. The only problem might be if you’re doing massive sprints the bike has less ability to flex and move so that might stress the frame.

    See , this is what reading gets me!  Being not overly mechanically engineering inclined, I read about the stress one puts on the rear triangle by having the skewer fixed into the turbo and the side-to-side motion of intervals beating it up and causing microfx's and eventual frame failure.  I have never used my #1 on the turbo for that reason.  But like I said earlier, I have no idea what I am talking about so don't listen to me!

  • @Buck Rogers

    @ChrisO

    @Rick

    is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I agree with that. The clamp is on the skewer not the frame.

    However on the general issue of No.1 bikes on trainers you should note that many manufacturers exclude trainer use from their warranties and some advise against using them – I’m talking mainly carbon frames here.

    From the general feedback on Zwift there are no particular issues with using carbon bikes on trainers and personally I think it’s just a bit of ass covering from manufacturers.

    Some people have had frame failures but that happens in real life too and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of a higher incidence. The only problem might be if you’re doing massive sprints the bike has less ability to flex and move so that might stress the frame.

    See , this is what reading gets me! Being not overly mechanically engineering inclined, I read about the stress one puts on the rear triangle by having the skewer fixed into the turbo and the side-to-side motion of intervals beating it up and causing microfx’s and eventual frame failure. I have never used my #1 on the turbo for that reason. But like I said earlier, I have no idea what I am talking about so don’t listen to me!

    I understand how that puts stress on a frame. I am very careful not to rock the bike side to side on the turbo. Any intervals are short and I make sure that my upper body is stationary so as not to stress the frame. I understood your original post as simply keeping the bike fixed to the trainer as a source of frame stress. I am careful and conscious of any potential frame stress that might result from my turbo sessions. In addition, all feedback and suggestions are always welcome as I still make mistakes and break rules after years of riding.

  • @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    In the last few months, I have finally learned to stop worrying and love the turbotrainer. Like the hour record (which I have no experience with other than watching a few recent ones on the internet and listening to the riders pontificate on the mental challenge) I found them bearable if they’re broken down into smaller intervals. The idea of a 45 minute steady-state workout on a trainer is awful. But, a few 5-10 minute FTP intervals or a series of 30 second sprints spaced between some easy spinning has actually given me some proven results.

    Let me repeat- the damn things actually work. I find my stroke is much more magnificent on the road and my sustained suffering increased.

    In summary, Rule #10.

    I find the turbo trainer incredibly boring. However, recently I have found some good training videos that keep my interest. The workouts are typically shorter but much more intense than I would maintain on my own. I use those from a popular cycling site so the instructors seem familiar. These workouts get me on the trainer more often for more intense sessions.

    I have not tried rollers and am terrified that I would break something should I do so.

    You’d be fine. Just make sure the first time you use them you put them between the wall and the bed (that’s what I did). It really only takes a little bit before it is very easy.

    And they are so much better in all aspects than the turbo, in my opinion (although I still ride the turbo once in a while, esp if I am going longer than two hours).

    Unfortunately I am also confronted with space limitations. I have no place to store rollers. My #1 spends the winter months set up on the trainer in the living room.

    It sounds like you have a great set up, which is exactly what I used to do so I only offer the following if you are truly looking to switch over to rollers.

    I actually store my rollers under the bed (they fold up easily and nicely into a small unit) and the bike in the garage and then when I want to ride, I pull the rollers out from under the bed and bring the bike inside to ride it. This actually is much more space efficient than having a turbo set up all the time.

    Also, a #1 bike on fixed turbo always worries me. Maybe someone with more experience and tech knowledge (that would be almost any one here on the site) can weigh in on whether or not it hurts a bike to be fixed into a turbo for long periods of time. Always makes me worry about the rear triangle with the odd stress of the turbo fixation (depending on the turbo interface with the bike but most hook into the rear triangle).

    But, please keep doing what you are if it works for you! Just some alternative thoughts.

    Although I am not an engineer, it is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I've asked this same question for years and looked at the flex points and the consensus among mechanics and everybody I know who uses one is that trainers don't damage a bike. My carbon frame is just fine. In fact, a frame is made to flex and you can see that happening when you're pushing power on the trainer. That said, getting out of the saddle is awkward and I don't do it much other than to stretch the legs a bit. The reviews seems good on that Kinetic rocking trainer, so that looks pretty neato if you want to train out of the saddle more while in the garage.

  • @BacklashJack

     

    I’ve asked this same question for years and looked at the flex points and the consensus among mechanics and everybody I know who uses one is that trainers don’t damage a bike. My carbon frame is just fine. In fact, a frame is made to flex and you can see that happening when you’re pushing power on the trainer. That said, getting out of the saddle is awkward and I don’t do it much other than to stretch the legs a bit. The reviews seems good on that Kinetic rocking trainer, so that looks pretty neato if you want to train out of the saddle more while in the garage.

    If you think about it, it's probably not a lot different to what happens on the road, it just mentally seems to be worse when the rear wheel is locked and you can easily picture the frame under torsion around the BB and Chainstays.  However, if you are stomping it on the road the bike will be laid over to one side while you stomp on the other side so you still have a similar torsional load.  In fact, if you consider that you might be actually levering the bars one way while stomping the other way the torsion could be greater on the road vs on a turbo.

    Then again I could be talking bollox.

  • @BacklashJack

    @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    In the last few months, I have finally learned to stop worrying and love the turbotrainer. Like the hour record (which I have no experience with other than watching a few recent ones on the internet and listening to the riders pontificate on the mental challenge) I found them bearable if they’re broken down into smaller intervals. The idea of a 45 minute steady-state workout on a trainer is awful. But, a few 5-10 minute FTP intervals or a series of 30 second sprints spaced between some easy spinning has actually given me some proven results.

    Let me repeat- the damn things actually work. I find my stroke is much more magnificent on the road and my sustained suffering increased.

    In summary, Rule #10.

    I find the turbo trainer incredibly boring. However, recently I have found some good training videos that keep my interest. The workouts are typically shorter but much more intense than I would maintain on my own. I use those from a popular cycling site so the instructors seem familiar. These workouts get me on the trainer more often for more intense sessions.

    I have not tried rollers and am terrified that I would break something should I do so.

    You’d be fine. Just make sure the first time you use them you put them between the wall and the bed (that’s what I did). It really only takes a little bit before it is very easy.

    And they are so much better in all aspects than the turbo, in my opinion (although I still ride the turbo once in a while, esp if I am going longer than two hours).

    Unfortunately I am also confronted with space limitations. I have no place to store rollers. My #1 spends the winter months set up on the trainer in the living room.

    It sounds like you have a great set up, which is exactly what I used to do so I only offer the following if you are truly looking to switch over to rollers.

    I actually store my rollers under the bed (they fold up easily and nicely into a small unit) and the bike in the garage and then when I want to ride, I pull the rollers out from under the bed and bring the bike inside to ride it. This actually is much more space efficient than having a turbo set up all the time.

    Also, a #1 bike on fixed turbo always worries me. Maybe someone with more experience and tech knowledge (that would be almost any one here on the site) can weigh in on whether or not it hurts a bike to be fixed into a turbo for long periods of time. Always makes me worry about the rear triangle with the odd stress of the turbo fixation (depending on the turbo interface with the bike but most hook into the rear triangle).

    But, please keep doing what you are if it works for you! Just some alternative thoughts.

    Although I am not an engineer, it is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I’ve asked this same question for years and looked at the flex points and the consensus among mechanics and everybody I know who uses one is that trainers don’t damage a bike. My carbon frame is just fine. In fact, a frame is made to flex and you can see that happening when you’re pushing power on the trainer. That said, getting out of the saddle is awkward and I don’t do it much other than to stretch the legs a bit. The reviews seems good on that Kinetic rocking trainer, so that looks pretty neato if you want to train out of the saddle more while in the garage.

    I have also done some research on this topic. I agree that the consensus is that the trainer does not damage the frame under reasonable use. I have only found one person on the entire interweb who claims to have seen frames damaged in a trainer. This person posted in a forum and claimed to be a former rep for a bike manufacturer. While I have no doubts regarding his claim, by guess would be that those frames were put under unreasonable stress while training.

    According to the forums, an all out spring on the road puts a frame under more stress than most anything done on the turbo trainer. Although these anonymous forum posters could be fabricating their data, I did see a GCN video where Si stated that they had contacted a number of frame manufacturers who said that a trainer would cause no frame damage if the bike was mounted properly.

    I have seen the kinetic rocking trainer. Although it does look pretty cool, I really have no need or desire to be out of the saddle while on the trainer. Also, I feel like I am more likely to rock too far on the kinetic and take the bike, and trainer down on top of me. I am fine just sitting down and going forward for now.

  • @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    In the last few months, I have finally learned to stop worrying and love the turbotrainer. Like the hour record (which I have no experience with other than watching a few recent ones on the internet and listening to the riders pontificate on the mental challenge) I found them bearable if they’re broken down into smaller intervals. The idea of a 45 minute steady-state workout on a trainer is awful. But, a few 5-10 minute FTP intervals or a series of 30 second sprints spaced between some easy spinning has actually given me some proven results.

    Let me repeat- the damn things actually work. I find my stroke is much more magnificent on the road and my sustained suffering increased.

    In summary, Rule #10.

    I find the turbo trainer incredibly boring. However, recently I have found some good training videos that keep my interest. The workouts are typically shorter but much more intense than I would maintain on my own. I use those from a popular cycling site so the instructors seem familiar. These workouts get me on the trainer more often for more intense sessions.

    I have not tried rollers and am terrified that I would break something should I do so.

    You’d be fine. Just make sure the first time you use them you put them between the wall and the bed (that’s what I did). It really only takes a little bit before it is very easy.

    And they are so much better in all aspects than the turbo, in my opinion (although I still ride the turbo once in a while, esp if I am going longer than two hours).

    Unfortunately I am also confronted with space limitations. I have no place to store rollers. My #1 spends the winter months set up on the trainer in the living room.

    It sounds like you have a great set up, which is exactly what I used to do so I only offer the following if you are truly looking to switch over to rollers.

    I actually store my rollers under the bed (they fold up easily and nicely into a small unit) and the bike in the garage and then when I want to ride, I pull the rollers out from under the bed and bring the bike inside to ride it. This actually is much more space efficient than having a turbo set up all the time.

    Also, a #1 bike on fixed turbo always worries me. Maybe someone with more experience and tech knowledge (that would be almost any one here on the site) can weigh in on whether or not it hurts a bike to be fixed into a turbo for long periods of time. Always makes me worry about the rear triangle with the odd stress of the turbo fixation (depending on the turbo interface with the bike but most hook into the rear triangle).

    But, please keep doing what you are if it works for you! Just some alternative thoughts.

    Although I am not an engineer, it is unclear how keeping the bike in the trainer would threaten structural integrity. Can someone please let me know if my steed is at risk from doing this? The bike is held upright by fixing the rear skewer to the trainer. The front wheel is in a training block and there is no weight on the bike when I am not training. To my uninformed self, it seems that the trainer in this case simply functions as a stand.

    I’ve asked this same question for years and looked at the flex points and the consensus among mechanics and everybody I know who uses one is that trainers don’t damage a bike. My carbon frame is just fine. In fact, a frame is made to flex and you can see that happening when you’re pushing power on the trainer. That said, getting out of the saddle is awkward and I don’t do it much other than to stretch the legs a bit. The reviews seems good on that Kinetic rocking trainer, so that looks pretty neato if you want to train out of the saddle more while in the garage.

    I have also done some research on this topic. I agree that the consensus is that the trainer does not damage the frame under reasonable use. I have only found one person on the entire interweb who claims to have seen frames damaged in a trainer. This person posted in a forum and claimed to be a former rep for a bike manufacturer. While I have no doubts regarding his claim, by guess would be that those frames were put under unreasonable stress while training.

    According to the forums, an all out spring on the road puts a frame under more stress than most anything done on the turbo trainer. Although these anonymous forum posters could be fabricating their data, I did see a GCN video where Si stated that they had contacted a number of frame manufacturers who said that a trainer would cause no frame damage if the bike was mounted properly.

    I have seen the kinetic rocking trainer. Although it does look pretty cool, I really have no need or desire to be out of the saddle while on the trainer. Also, I feel like I am more likely to rock too far on the kinetic and take the bike, and trainer down on top of me. I am fine just sitting down and going forward for now.

    Putting my money where my suffering is, I plunked down for a new Cycleops Powerbeam Pro ANT+ today as they were only $400 on Competitive Cyclist / Backcountry and I bent my old one.

    Quite honestly, if I ever broke a bike on my trainer I think it would be a badge of honor for the V that I laid down in my suffer cave and I would Instagram the shit out of that and hang it on the wall of the aforementioned suffer cave next to the flag of Flanders.

  • @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    I have seen the kinetic rocking trainer. Although it does look pretty cool, I really have no need or desire to be out of the saddle while on the trainer. Also, I feel like I am more likely to rock too far on the kinetic and take the bike, and trainer down on top of me. I am fine just sitting down and going forward for now.

    Great discussion!  I just use it as another justification for another bike!

    Anyways, I HAVE to get out of the saddle every 15 minutes for 5 minutes or so, at least, just to save my arse from going numb on the rollers/trainer.  I cannot imagine riding for 1-3 hours and not getting out of the saddle at all.  That just cannot be healthy!!!

     

  • @Buck Rogers

    @Rick

    @BacklashJack

    I have seen the kinetic rocking trainer. Although it does look pretty cool, I really have no need or desire to be out of the saddle while on the trainer. Also, I feel like I am more likely to rock too far on the kinetic and take the bike, and trainer down on top of me. I am fine just sitting down and going forward for now.

    Great discussion! I just use it as another justification for another bike!

    Anyways, I HAVE to get out of the saddle every 15 minutes for 5 minutes or so, at least, just to save my arse from going numb on the rollers/trainer. I cannot imagine riding for 1-3 hours and not getting out of the saddle at all. That just cannot be healthy!!!

    When I do long trainer rides I do regular intervals out of the saddle, although in the UAE we often had to make ourselves get up on the pedals.

    I remember a chap came out to ride with us, very good rider, while he was there on business and commented afterwards how his arse was numb because you just sat down for so long, whereas at home you naturally stood up every now and then.

    And he was from Ipswich (which will mean something to @Chris) but for non-Englishers it's a famously flat part of the country.

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frank
8 years ago

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