I recently purchased a used set of rollers and I've been riding them a couple times/week for a month now. I know that I am getting better at riding them and I feel more confident with each session.

I am enjoying this form of training but, I experience numbness after about 25 minutes. I attribute this to having to be on the saddle for the whole time. I don't experience this on the road since I can lift off the saddle easily.

I feel that If I could stand up out of the saddle for brief periods, that it would help prevent numbness while riding the rollers.

Currently, I am able to sit up and ride no-hands. This helps relieve some of the pressure build-up in my saddle area. I am hoping that my roller technique/skill will improve enough that I will be able to at least take more weight off the seat, if not totally stand on the pedals (as in a sprinting position).

Is it unrealistic to hope to be able to pedal out of the saddle on rollers? Are there any of you out there who have achieved this ability on rollers?

I recently purchased a used set of rollers and I've been riding them a couple times/week for a month now. I know that I am getting better at riding them and I feel more confident with each session.

I am enjoying this form of training but, I experience numbness after about 25 minutes. I attribute this to having to be on the saddle for the whole time. I don't experience this on the road since I can lift off the saddle easily.

I feel that If I could stand up out of the saddle for brief periods, that it would help prevent numbness while riding the rollers.

Currently, I am able to sit up and ride no-hands. This helps relieve some of the pressure build-up in my saddle area. I am hoping that my roller technique/skill will improve enough that I will be able to at least take more weight off the seat, if not totally stand on the pedals (as in a sprinting position).

Is it unrealistic to hope to be able to pedal out of the saddle on rollers? Are there any of you out there who have achieved this ability on rollers?

Not unrealastic at all. I do it all the time. Probably stand up for a minute or 2 every 10 to 15 minutes to relieve the numbness myself. Concentrate on a very smooth spin and you should be able to do it. It's not anything like standing on the road since you can't rock the bike back and forth like you should when you are out of the saddle on the road. You have to concentrate on keeping the bike straight and spinning smoothly.

Look down in the the older the threads. There's been a ton of discussion in the past few days and weeks on Roller technique.

Beat you to it this morning Kerry!
:D

A group of us meet at the LBS on Thursday nights in the winter to ride trainers and rollers while watching one of the training videos (usually a Spinnervals one). A few winters ago, one of the guys was next to me on rollers (I was on my trainer). When Coach Troy said to "stand up," my neingbor did, fell and crashed into me. I almost fell over and crashed into the guy on my other side. We have had many good laughs about the whole thing. But, I now keep my distance from the guys who try to stand up on rollers.

I recently purchased a used set of rollers and I've been riding them a couple times/week for a month now. I know that I am getting better at riding them and I feel more confident with each session.

I am enjoying this form of training but, I experience numbness after about 25 minutes. I attribute this to having to be on the saddle for the whole time. I don't experience this on the road since I can lift off the saddle easily.

I feel that If I could stand up out of the saddle for brief periods, that it would help prevent numbness while riding the rollers.

Currently, I am able to sit up and ride no-hands. This helps relieve some of the pressure build-up in my saddle area. I am hoping that my roller technique/skill will improve enough that I will be able to at least take more weight off the seat, if not totally stand on the pedals (as in a sprinting position).

Is it unrealistic to hope to be able to pedal out of the saddle on rollers? Are there any of you out there who have achieved this ability on rollers?


Standing is a lot easier than riding no handed in my opinion. Just try it. The key is smoothness and keeping your weight evenly distributed front and rear. A lot of times when you stand on the road you lurch forward over the bars, on the rollers just try to go straight up over the saddle slowly and keep your spin steady all around.

It's really not hard at all and besides relieving perineal pressure it increases your workout load because it's physically more demanding.

Start out by just pushing on the pedals and lifting your rear end off the saddle an inch or two and progress from there. It's all mental.

Use a big gear, put it in the 53x11 and grin away. The wheelspeed keeps you upright.

Flat out, no holds-barred hammering on rollers is not recommended. The side to side motion is alright - but the 'bounce' forward and aft can get you into trouble. You can do it, though.

I stand up frequently and keep good power on - but you have to pay attention to your cadence and body movements or else you'll jump out.

I use a stationary trainer for interval work since you needn't be nearly as careful and can concentrate on the effort more. I use rollers for just about everything else.

Thanks for all your input! I'm going to make a go at it tonight. Maybe throw some pillows down along side the rollers just in case I bail out. lol


:cool:

Thanks for all your input! I'm going to make a go at it tonight. Maybe throw some pillows down along side the rollers just in case I bail out. lol


:cool:

A better bet is to try it in a doorway. That's how I learned to use rollers in the first place. Set them up so the door frame lines up with your shoulder. That way you can just lean your shoulder on the door if you get too close and push back to the middle. Your shoulders also tend to be your widest part so they will generally touch the frame well before your wheel is about to run off the side. Of course that depends on your door width...

As has been said before. It's really not that bg of a deal when you come off the roller. You just stop. There isn't nearly enough momentum in a 700 - 1000 gram wheel to actually propel you're far greater body mass forward. The tire just skids to an almost instantaneous stop and you put your foot down. The worst that can happen is you aren't ready for it, forget to click out and do the classic stop light tip over. Oh the only other bad part is when your wife comes in and won't stop complaining about the burning rubber smell. ;)

Flat out, no holds-barred hammering on rollers is not recommended. The side to side motion is alright - but the 'bounce' forward and aft can get you into trouble. You can do it, though.

I stand up frequently and keep good power on - but you have to pay attention to your cadence and body movements or else you'll jump out.

I use a stationary trainer for interval work since you needn't be nearly as careful and can concentrate on the effort more. I use rollers for just about everything else.

That is the issue I have with standing... when I stood, the weight shifted backward and I rode off the rear of the rollers.

That is the issue I have with standing... when I stood, the weight shifted backward and I rode off the rear of the rollers.

Actually I think the opposite might be happening. It sounds to me like you have too much weight on the bars when you stand up. This does two things. It causes the front wheel to drop and shift back because you only have one roller in the front. It also lifts the rear and allows it to ride up the rear most roller. Once you get beyond a stable point the rear wheeel pops ove rthe rear roller and your done. I would recommend trying to distribute more weight to the rear when you stand.

You have to spin smoothly. That's roller riding in a nutshell. No matter what you're doing, think smooth. Standing? Keep the same smooth spin.

So how did it go? No big deal, right?

I did notice the tendency for the front wheel to dip down behind the front roller. But with concentration and body positioning, I was able to not let that effect make me overcompensate and crash. Riding in the drops also helped lower my center of gravity and be more stable.

I really love rollers because they bring out the essence of bike riding; one can take it for granted on the road - the magical effect that two spinning wheels create. When we ride, we are playing in those resultant forces so as to acheive perfect balance.

if your comin off the back you should probably increase the distance between the front and rear rollers.

ride no handed, with one foot clipped in spinning an IL
Then your ready for racing in the peloton

...I experience numbness after about 25 minutes. I attribute this to having to be on the saddle for the whole time...
...I feel that If I could stand up out of the saddle for brief periods, that it would help prevent numbness while riding the rollers...

Well since your stated reason to stand is to relieve pressure then just stop riding and get off the bike. There is no rule in training that you have to be pedaling the entire time. How often do you coast while riding on the road. Taking 60 seconds off the bike every 15 minutes will not spoil your training. This brief break will relieve the pressure, lets you get a nice long drink, wipe off and focus on your goals for the next 15 minute stretch.

Now if you have other goals for standing on the rollers then you can certainly learn that skill. But it is not necessary just to get some relief.

there might be too much resistance on my rollers cause when i pedal one legged with my hands on the bars i can feel that my bike would jump off the rollers if i take my hands off. I have a set of kreitler dyno mytes and run 700x28s at 90psi when i ride the rollers. I feel that the extra surface area increases resistance and gives a better workload. I am pretty good at balance, i can ride no handed, stand and sprint, start without a wall, do trackstands on the road ...etc. I'm figuring its just cause im running a low psi my tires.

p.s. Do you actually race for colavitaBolla?

ride no handed, with one foot clipped in spinning an IL
Then your ready for racing in the peloton

there might be too much resistance on my rollers cause when i pedal one legged with my hands on the bars i can feel that my bike would jump off the rollers if i take my hands off. I have a set of kreitler dyno mytes and run 700x28s at 90psi when i ride the rollers. I feel that the extra surface area increases resistance and gives a better workload. I am pretty good at balance, i can ride no handed, stand and sprint, start without a wall, do trackstands on the road ...etc. I'm figuring its just cause im running a low psi my tires.

p.s. Do you actually race for colavitaBolla?

Unless you have gargantuan pythons for legs I doubt you could ride one legged on the Dyno-mytes for very long. There is a fair amount of resistance in those puppies. Once your leg starts getting tired you get jerky and push the pedals down instead of an even stroke. This causes the bike to rock forward and back and get very unstable. The Mytes can seriously kick your @ss in a hurry.

If you think the resistance is tough on them with a 700x23 tire at 120psi try a 700x28 at 90psi. I was thinking about selling them b/c i couldnt do interval workouts as the resistance wasnt strong enough, but now i swear they provide more resistance than my kurt kinetic road machine trainer and the power curve is much more realistic.



Unless you have gargantuan pythons for legs I doubt you could ride one legged on the Dyno-mytes for very long. There is a fair amount of resistance in those puppies. Once your leg starts getting tired you get jerky and push the pedals down instead of an even stroke. This causes the bike to rock forward and back and get very unstable. The Mytes can seriously kick your @ss in a hurry.