I never realized how much fun it is to lose weight until I started using them. I’ll confess that I go “bear” during the winter months; In other words, I usually prefer to sleep a lot and just act plain lazy. The summer months, on the other hand, are quite different. I’ll take long bike rides and try to solve the world’s problems while doing so.
A friend of mine recently recommended a device I could use that would allow me to ride my bike indoors and he said “it’s not the stationary bike type you might be thinking of”. . Well, I was curious to say the least so I looked up what “rollers” were and discovered they could be used as a new twist on losing weight by exercising.
rollers 101
So I did a little research on what rollers are, and to be honest they actually looked pretty simple. There are different types available but they all do the same thing. The unit comes with 3 drums (usually PVC or aluminium), two of which your rear tire sits in the middle and then the third which is used to drive your front wheel. The rear drums (i.e. the rollers) are connected to the front ones by means of a belt of some sort.
What do you do with them
The idea with rollers is that through pedaling, you are driving your rear tire which is in contact with rear rollers which are in contact with font rollers which in turn spin your front tire. Trust me, it is more complicated to explain than to actually use them. Since your front tire is spinning, you now have control of your bike and can really ride like you would on the road.
hard at first
The hardest part about using rollers is actually getting on your bike and then starting to pedal. There are hundreds of videos online of “newbie” roller users trying to get started and get their balance. They make great videos because they usually involve some sort of accident; Strange but not that dangerous. If you step off your rollers, your tires stop immediately and the rider just falls (opposite the road – ouch!).
pretend you’re on the road
If you can ride a bike, you can ride these. First of all I suggest placing them in the middle of a doorway or next to something that you can hold onto for balancing purposes. Sit on your bike and then using a wall (or whatever you’re using for balance) sit on it while keeping yourself upright. Keep your feet on the pedals and place one of your hands on the front bars while holding yourself up with the other. Now the fun begins.
Start pedaling slowly and focus on keeping your front wheel as straight as possible.
The faster you pedal, the easier it will be to keep your balance (not detached from the road). Now slowly remove the other hand from the wall and place it on the bars. Now you are riding rollers.
As you ride, try and focus your attention ahead of you and try not to look down too much. I’ve found that looking ahead gives you better balance than constantly looking to see how your wheels are doing. As your balance improves, you should experiment with changing gears, seeing how speed affects your balance while riding. When you get really good, you can even get up out of your seat and try pedaling as if you’re going uphill.
Your bike skills will improve a lot
If you regularly ride your bike rollers in the winter, you’ll be amazed at how easy it actually is to ride on the road. Apart from being fun, riding on these is also a great way to exercise to lose weight. I know it has worked wonders for me.
Source by Kevin G Shaw
