In these days of smart trainers and virtual cycling platforms such as Zwift, traditional rollers can seem a bit outdated and limited but having a set and being able to ride them is definitely still worthwhile.

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Balance and bike handling

Unlike a turbo or static bike, rollers work on your balance, bike handling skills and core stability. Many riders find that by investing time in learning to ride rollers they feel more balanced, confident and comfortable when riding outdoors. British Cycling has some good advice here.

 

Pedalling technique

Rollers reward a smooth and balanced pedal stroke. Listen to the hum of your rollers and, if you hear a constant even pitched whirr, you know that your pedal stroke is smooth. If you hear a whirr that goes up and down in pitch, you need to smooth things out a bit.

 

Recovery spins

If you’re due for a recovery spin, a low resistance and high cadence spin on the rollers is the perfect choice. As well as the benefits of riding rollers described above, if you’re not using your smart trainer and not riding on Zwift, you won’t be tempted by other riders to push too hard and turning your recovery ride into junk miles.

 

Warming up

Whether it’s track league, cyclo-cross, XC MTB, circuit race or time trial, rollers provide a convenient, portable and effective way to warm-up. They fold up easily, won’t chew up your tyres like a turbo can and, for cadence based warm-up protocols such as the British Cycling 20-minute warm-up, are ideal. Some events, Criterium, MTB & Track may not have any on track warm up time, so rollers or turbo are your only warm up option.