Manon: Rollers are a great way of spicing up your indoor rides. They
can be a little bit more realistic than being stuck to a static trainer.
At first, rollers can be pretty daunting and take a lot of time, patience and practice to
get used to. Once you get a hang of them, they're great fun. In this video, we're going to give you
some tips and tricks on how to get started on rollers and improve your roller skills.
[music] We've also invited along
Ruby Issac to give us some pro tips, and while she knows a thing or two about riding rollers.
Impressive. Ruby Issac: Thank you.
Manon: Before we get started, let's have a quick poll in the GCN app.
Have you guys ever ridden rollers? Head over to the GCN app and let us know.
I'm very lucky to be joined by Ruby. Now, Ruby is 12 years old and has been riding bikes for
six years. You might've already seen her on social media doing some pretty impressive
roller skills. She does make it look very easy. One question before we start,
what has been your hardest trick to learn?
Ruby: I think the hardest trick I've had to learn would definitely be the trick I've just done,
skipping, because it took me a few days to learn. Yes, you're probably wondering,
I did fall off a lot of times. I think that's-- Manon: Does it hurt when you fall off?
Ruby: When I was practicing, I did it on grass- Manon: It's a good idea.
Ruby: -so it didn't really hurt. Manon: Ruby, should we show this
lot how to ride rollers? Ruby: Yes, let's do it.
Manon: Let's go. Riding rollers is a strange feeling at first. It feels like
you're moving about as if you're out on the road, but, actually, you're static.
It's also a good idea to check in a nice safe environment with nothing harmful around,
just in case you do fall. Ruby: Manon, you might want to check
the length of your rollers, because if they're too long, you might end up falling off the bike,
and we don't want that. Manon: We don't.
Ruby: If they are too short, you might end up falling off the front. I think it's good if we
check the length of the rollers. Manon: Yes, we'll check them.
Ruby: As you can see, my rollers are shorter than yours because I have a smaller bike.
Manon: Ruby, how did you first learn to ride rollers? Did you just get
it straight away or did it take quite a lot of practice? What helped you learn?
Ruby: Someone told me that rollers would be a good idea for me to use as I can practice how to change
gear and obviously to clip in. We bought some, and then when I first got them, someone was holding my
seat when I was practicing, but obviously you can use a door frame or a [unintelligible 00:02:29],
but I just preferred someone holding my seat. I understood how to ride rollers pretty easily
because I have quite a good balance. One thing that I did learn that when I was riding, instead
of being clipped and I used flat shoes, it's just because it gave me a lot more confidence to ride
rollers and it just made it easier. Manon: If you did want to
accidentally fall off, you just put your foot down instead of unclipping. It's a good idea.
Ruby: Yes. Manon:
Starting off, it's a great idea to start in a doorway or have someone hold your saddle.
If you're starting off in a doorway, you'll have two walls to hold onto
and you can always bounce your shoulders off the door to get back into the center of the rollers.
Ruby: You can use a solid table or a chair, or just anything
really that will take your weight. Manon: Get on your bike as normal,
then start riding whilst holding on to support. Get used to how your bike feels on the rollers,
and when you feel confident, let go. If you need to, you can always reach back to get your
balance. You'll probably get used to this pretty quickly, but take your time and don't rush through
it. Get used to riding on the rollers. Ruby: My top tip would always be to
look ahead and not look down at your wheel. Manon: Once you've mastered this first step
and you feel confident, we can now start to learn a few different skills that are going
to help you on your roller journey. Try changing gear and riding at different cadences. Also note
how the rollers feel at different speeds. I know Ruby makes it look effortless and easy.
Ruby: Also see how slow you can ride, and then get the speed back up again.
Once you feel confident doing that, you can also try a track stand
like this. Manon:
Riding in the saddle for long periods of time without mixing up your position,
it can get a little bit uncomfortable. This is why it's helpful to learn
how to ride out the saddle. The key is to keep your body weight in the center.
You don't want to lean too far forward as you might risk your bike falling forwards
and ending up on the floor. Ruby: What you could try is
lifting yourself out of the seat a touch and then slowly progressing to lifting yourself
out of the seat and slowly riding, or what you could try is standing up and then doing one
pedal turn, sitting down and doing that again, but two-pedal turns, sitting down and then seeing how
many pedal turns you can do feeling comfortable. Manon: Riding with one hand is a great skill to
have in any part of cycling, and on the rollers, if you want to take a drink, it is essential.
Ride in a safe spot in a doorway and just gradually start taking your hand
away from the bars. When you get confident, you can even try reaching in your back pocket
for a snack. Ruby:
Lastly, try reaching down for a bottle. This takes a lot of
concentration and you want to make sure you don't stray away from the middle of
the rollers. Manon:
Starting without holding on to anything on the rollers is a great skill to have, but also quite
an advanced skill. It can take some time and practice to learn how to do so, but it's a great
skill. If you are in a situation where you have nothing to hold on to, you can still get started.
Ruby: Find a clear space, either a grassy garden or an open room, just like this one,
to practice on, but I think grass may be better for a softer landing, don't you think?
Manon: Good thinking, Ruby. Ruby is kindly going to demonstrate how to get started without holding
on to anything. Ruby:
Go in a gear that makes you comfortable and [unintelligible 00:06:12] the dominant leg
in. For me, that's my right leg. Then you want to do about three to four pedal strokes and then get
your other leg onto your cleat, and then slowly but smoothly go onto the seat, or else you will
fall off the bike if you go too fast. Then clip your other leg in, and then you can just ride.
Manon: Again, she does make it look super easy. The hardest part is if you lose too much speed
and delay clipping in, you do risk toppling over, which I have done before. Practice
clipping in quickly first. Once you learn it, it is a super rewarding skill to have.
Ruby, my roller skills- they aren't the best, but have you got a cool skill or trick that
you could teach me today? Ruby: Yes. Do you want to
maybe try going one-legged? Manon: Yes, I could try that.
Ruby: One-legged is good to get your legs stronger and is also good for coordination.
Do you think you can give it a go? Manon: Yes, let's try.
I am going to have the chair there just in case I do lose my balance if that's okay.
Ruby: Yes, that's fine. Don't worry about that. Manon: What's the first step? I'm guessing we
need to get riding? Ruby: Yes.
Manon: Should we do that? Ruby:
Yes. You ready? Manon: Yes.
Ruby: You've got to go into a gear that's comfortable for you. I'd go in some easy
gears like third or fourth gear, and then when you're ready, unclip your left leg
and then just put it to the side and smoothly pedal with your other leg.
Do about 10 pedal strokes. Manon: Oh, you really have to concentrate.
Ruby: Yes. Then clip back in. Manon: Oh, I did it.
Ruby: That's it. Manon: Yay.
Ruby: Another good thing is to do the other leg because then obviously your legs can get stronger.
Manon: I don't want one massive leg. Ruby: That's up to you, if you want
to try it. Manon:
Now you've mastered the rollers, feel free to spin until your legs give up.
Hope you enjoyed this video, and if you did, please give it a big thumbs-up. If
you have any of your own roller skills, please leave them in the comment section below. Thank
you very much for joining us today, Ruby. Ruby: That's okay. Good luck, everyone.
I hope this video helped you master all your skills. Sorry, I've got to go now. Bye, everyone.
Manon: Where are you going? [00:08:51] [END OF AUDIO]