If you are new to rollers, here are a few tips that may help you get started.  These tips may not work for everyone, but helped us when we were new to rollers.  

• Check tire pressure; Soft tires make rollers incredibly hard to ride. Most road tires work great around 100+ psi (do not exceed max psi)

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• Prepare a safe space to ride by making sure there are no hard/sharp edges or breakable objects that you could potentially contact in the event of a fall.

 

• Do not clip in.  Use tennis shoes for the first few rides until you feel comfortable and familiar with how your rollers ride.

 

• Use our fit guide to set the correct roller length. You can view it HERE or with your owner’s manual that came with your rollers.

 

• Getting on the bike (2 ways…)

 

• • Either start with your bike fully in position on the rollers and throw a leg over (it is completely fine to step on the frame for mounting/dismounting.) Holding the brakes once you’re in place helps.      

 

OR

 

• • Have your bike in position, but rolled forward so its not actually on the rollers.  Once you are in position, walk the bike backward onto the rollers. Holding the brakes once you’re in place helps.

 

• Supporting yourself

 

• • Have one hand on the bar  and the other on a solid support like the back of a couch, desk, large (anchored) piece of furniture, or door frame. A chair may be a bit too light.  If you begin to fall away from the chair and grab it for support, it will just come with you instead of anchoring you.

 

OR

 

• • (My Preferred Method) Set up next to a bare wall.  With both hands on the bars, use your elbow to hold you away from the wall.  I like this way the best because your hand does not have to transition from one surface to another surface.

 

• First few pedals strokes: There is no great answer for this except for preference.  Some folks prefer an easier gear to start in while others prefer a moderate gear. Either way, the trick is to increase the RPM of the wheel somewhat quickly.  The gyroscopic effect of the wheel is what stabilizes you vertically. The shape of the roller stabilizes you horizontally. Both require a bit of speed in your wheels to take effect.  The faster your wheel spins, the more stable you become. Aim for about 15 mph or greater.

 

• Look where you want to go: Just like on the road, try not to look at your front wheel.  Pick a point on the floor or the wall about 8+ feet in front of you. Once you’re feeling confident, you can flick your eyes down to watch the magic happening with the stabilizing effect of the roller shape.

 

• Relax and breath! A tense rider tends to over-correct (think death-wobble coming down a canyon at high speed.) Relax your shoulders and control your breathing.

 

• Dismounting: You may choose to coast to a stop and put a hand back on your couch, door frame, etc. which is just fine.  Ultimately, you can roll to a stop just like you would at a stop light by moving forward off the saddle and extending one foot for the ground.

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Your Crown Rollers are the most stable, easy to ride rollers available, but they are still rollers, and still have a learning curve. After a couple of rides, you should be well on your way to feeling confident on rollers!