Update, regarding my Bianchi Pista/Roller.
I'm not certain if it's known at all, but I'm an avid cyclist. In Florida there was never as many opportune moments to ride as I would have liked. It rained too frequently, and I'm kind of a wuss when it would come to riding in the Florida heat. 85 to 90 degree weather, plus the humidity was never anything I sought to ride in. So, upon moving to NY, I purchased an indoor trainer and used that during the winter months, being as I didn't know the area too well and it was too cold to walk outside, let alone ride. One extreme for another, I suppose.
Now I'm familiar with everything, and after riding in several citywide cycling tours, and training from March until October outdoors, I had to invest in a newer trainer. So, I sold the old one and bought myself a Roller, instead.
Most people aren't as familiar with Rollers than they are with trainers. Trainers are more adaptive to the casual cyclist, where your bike is fixed in place and rides on the back wheel only. Rollers are more like treadmills, and are certainly more for the moderate to advanced cyclist. You have to balance yourself in every way, so that even moving your hands in a different position will make you bust and fall off of it - your bike is not fixed at all to the Roller.
I had several co-workers ask about what the Roller looked like, and how it appeared when I would ride it, so I made a short video using my MacBook. It's not a great video, and it's very boring to watch, but it's meant to be more educational for me than anything. Experts in anything athletic often say that the best way to improve upon your skill is to videotape it and review yourself from an outside perspective, notice your mistakes and correct them.
I am riding a brakeless track-bike; a Bianchi Pista, with Bullhorn handlebars, which I replaced for the standard handlebars. I'm riding on an Italian Vintage Bettuzzi roller that I purchased for $100 in Long Island on Craigslist.
In this video I didn't follow very many of my usual disciplines. You should never stare at the front wheel because it distracts your balance - rather, you should stare several feet in front of you. You should make full circles in your pedaling strokes, which will improve your steadiness.
Riding on the roller is similar to riding on ice. With a subtle movement to the side, your entire bike will slide left and right and even at an angle. By the end of a usual ride (about 15 to 20 minutes), I am covered in sweat and my entire body feels the workout. There is more to this exercise than pedaling with your legs.
So here is nearly two minutes of me riding on my bike.
There is no sound, other than the whir of the belt, so maybe you should play some Pantera or something to make it more interesting... just a thought.
Now I'm familiar with everything, and after riding in several citywide cycling tours, and training from March until October outdoors, I had to invest in a newer trainer. So, I sold the old one and bought myself a Roller, instead.
Most people aren't as familiar with Rollers than they are with trainers. Trainers are more adaptive to the casual cyclist, where your bike is fixed in place and rides on the back wheel only. Rollers are more like treadmills, and are certainly more for the moderate to advanced cyclist. You have to balance yourself in every way, so that even moving your hands in a different position will make you bust and fall off of it - your bike is not fixed at all to the Roller.
I had several co-workers ask about what the Roller looked like, and how it appeared when I would ride it, so I made a short video using my MacBook. It's not a great video, and it's very boring to watch, but it's meant to be more educational for me than anything. Experts in anything athletic often say that the best way to improve upon your skill is to videotape it and review yourself from an outside perspective, notice your mistakes and correct them.
I am riding a brakeless track-bike; a Bianchi Pista, with Bullhorn handlebars, which I replaced for the standard handlebars. I'm riding on an Italian Vintage Bettuzzi roller that I purchased for $100 in Long Island on Craigslist.
In this video I didn't follow very many of my usual disciplines. You should never stare at the front wheel because it distracts your balance - rather, you should stare several feet in front of you. You should make full circles in your pedaling strokes, which will improve your steadiness.
Riding on the roller is similar to riding on ice. With a subtle movement to the side, your entire bike will slide left and right and even at an angle. By the end of a usual ride (about 15 to 20 minutes), I am covered in sweat and my entire body feels the workout. There is more to this exercise than pedaling with your legs.
So here is nearly two minutes of me riding on my bike.
There is no sound, other than the whir of the belt, so maybe you should play some Pantera or something to make it more interesting... just a thought.
Click to view