12 Newbie Tips for Riding Rollers

Getting on rollers for the first time can be intimidating, we know! But these tips can help ensure your first experience is a positive one.

Once you get started, we can guarantee you'll be hooked.

1. Three words: Positive Mental Attitude. It goes a long way. Don't psych yourself out—you can do this.

2. Make sure the rollers are on a flat surface. Carpet can interfere with the drums or roller belt, so avoid it if possible.

3. Put the bike in a middle-of-the-road gear before hopping on. Not too hard, not too easy.

More: What Does Your Bike Say About You?

4. Set the rollers up in a hallway or a doorway so that you can use the walls as bumpers. If you start to veer off the rollers, just push off the wall gently with your shoulder. This way, you never have to let go of the handlebars.

5. Once you're on and you start pedaling, don't stop! The general tendency is to ride very slowly out of uncertainty; however, this makes the bike even harder to control. Pedal at a decent speed, and push and pull all the way through the pedal stroke to keep an even cadence.

6. Focus on a point a few feet in front of you instead of looking down at your wheel. Trust us, this helps a ton.

7. Relax your shoulders and loosen your grip on the handlebars. Instead of trying to steer the bike by tensing your upper body, focus on pedaling as smoothly as possible and you will automatically ride in a straight line.

8. Don't forget to breathe.

More: 15 New Bikes at Interbike 2014

9. As soon as you get the hang of riding rollers without needing the doorway for balance, get out of the doorway! Challenge yourself to just use a wall for mounting the rollers, and then abandon the wall altogether. You won't know what you're capable of until you get out of that comfort zone.

10. Want to know what happens when you ride off the side of the rollers? Well, if you stop pedaling, then your wheels will stop spinning and you can just put your foot down. If you keep pedaling, then all bets are off.

11. Make sure there is nothing nearby that could hurt you if you do fall off. Accidents happen.

12. Whatever you do, don't give up!

More: 10 Workouts Every Cyclist Should Do

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For more information on rollers, visit: https://www.sportcrafters.com/blog.

About the Author

LAVA Magazine

Founded in 2010 and named after the iconic volcanic rock fields found at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, LAVA Magazine is the world's premier triathlon magazine. Along with the magazine's stunning photography and design, every issue is full of the newest gear debuts and reviews, training advice from the world's best coaches, and in-depth athlete profiles. Go to Lavamagazine.com for up-to-the-minute training, racing and triathlon news, and follow them at @LavaMagazine.
Founded in 2010 and named after the iconic volcanic rock fields found at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, LAVA Magazine is the world's premier triathlon magazine. Along with the magazine's stunning photography and design, every issue is full of the newest gear debuts and reviews, training advice from the world's best coaches, and in-depth athlete profiles. Go to Lavamagazine.com for up-to-the-minute training, racing and triathlon news, and follow them at @LavaMagazine.

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