It is my personal belief that many people own bicycles, and that many of those people aren't interested in riding for pleasure / exercise when it is raining, snowing, dark, etc. outside, and that many of those people would ride their bicycle indoors if they had a fun and challenging device that allowed them to do so, and that many of those people would build such a device themselves if given the encouragement and advice to do so. Thus, if my calculations are correct, this Instructable my indeed be appropriate for, and benefit many people.
DIY Bike Rollers from Jason Sauers on Vimeo.
Some people prefer stands and other types of trainers over rollers, but to me there are a few appealing aspects of rollers vs others:
More enjoyable
Faster / more intense Workouts
More challenging / engaging
Better all-over body workout
No adapting or installation - just set the bike on and go
Some may argue that it isn't worth the cost (a new set can be bought ~ $200) and time to build your own, but that can be said about almost anything-
I enjoy building things, I had all the materials that I needed, and it only took a weekend to build.
The building isn't particularly challenging, so long as you are familiar with basic construction / projecting techniques, and have access to the necessary tools and materials.
I would not however suggest this as a first project, or for someone who does not have experience with similar projects.
P.S. I do not intended for this to be a set of step-by-step construction plans, as I feel that those who will likely have success in completing a project like this will be able to easily fill-in the b_a_ks that I may leave.
P.P.S. This is another homebuilt setup (much more sophisticated than mine) that I didn't find until writing this - however for me the free-motion feature isn't very important :
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/196027-Home-Made-Free-Motion-Roller-Assembly?highlight=home%20made%20free%20motion%20rollers
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Signing UpStep 1: Parts and Materials
Again- my goal is not to create a set of building plans, but rather lay out some suggestions for others to build off of.
I know that there are improvements and tweaks that others will find as they build their own which will result in better and diverse versions.
Some material suggestions:
'
3" PVC pipe 3pcs @ 18"
8ft of low stretch webbing - or tubing, rope etc
6+ Ball Bearings
Steel Rod 3pcs @ 21"
Screws
Plywood
Dimensional Lumber - or other material for frame
Traction tape
I know that there are improvements and tweaks that others will find as they build their own which will result in better and diverse versions.
Some material suggestions:
'
3" PVC pipe 3pcs @ 18"
8ft of low stretch webbing - or tubing, rope etc
6+ Ball Bearings
Steel Rod 3pcs @ 21"
Screws
Plywood
Dimensional Lumber - or other material for frame
Traction tape
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http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Bike-Rollers/step2/Dimensions/
Let me know -
|Frame| /\/\/\ |TW| |FW| |TW| |Roller|
/\/\/\ = Spring TW=Teflon washer FW=Fender washer
...and kudos on the wheels, I had a guy turn mine with a lathe for $25. (yours are still better)
|Frame|W| |FW|Roller|FW|W|Frame|.
Hope that helps.
What exactly do you mean by the wheels?
I got a resistance trainer for free recently, so the chances of my making it have been reduced to 0, but before I got it I was planning on making it...
Though I have never understood how those work! (Other than keeping your balance, like with a track stand (I do track cycling.)
O, and final note: Get in the drops! :)
I like your design. I've used steel rods but they are to heavy, arround 4kg. Will now use pvc rods to see if this goes better. Will let you know the results.
Greetings from Holland
Suzukisv
Sounds Interesting. Look forward to hearing more about it.
Best Regards from the US
i am using the white pvc pipe for my rollers. i am planning on using clean out caps to hold my bearings. the problem is the clean out caps are made of ABS not pvc. apparently the hardware stores (Lowes, home depot, ace) around my area does not carry pvc clean out caps. Does anyone know if the ABS material can hold up to the load? i am at 196 lbs and my bike is about 22lbs. thanks in advance.
There's no movement in the webbing - so that's tight enough (could this be too tight to accomodate any flex under load?)
What size bearings are you using? what size axles?
if you can take some pictures of what you have together, It might help with identifying the trouble area.
I recently picked up a vintage set of rollers that I would guess date to the 60s, made of steel tubing with three bright blue steel rollers, and I have two questions that maybe you can answer.
The frame is adjustable, so you can slide the front half backwards or forwards as you like. And so I did it guess-timating that the front roller should be just a little ahead of the front axle -- which is pretty much just what you said. But then, you also said to estimate 53 inches distance between the front roller and the ":averaged" distance of the two back rollers, for a bike with axles that are 51 inches apart -- and I don't think my front axle is a full two inches behind the front roller, it's more like a 1/2 inch distance.
Sooooo....I guess I am wondering if that discrepancy matters? The thing is, the further I expand the frame, the less sturdy it gets, so if this is fine, I would rather leave it as is, but if it;'s not, I will expand it. Not even sure if you can answer, but any insight is welcome.
Other question is about the rollers -- they were once a bright, bright blue enamel over the steel, but the enamel in the middle of the rollers has worn away leaving nothing but a swath of rust-covered steel, which makes the whole thing look bad and makes me a little nervous that the rust needs to be stopped somehow or it will compromise the rollers somehow -- get in the bearings, or even -- as a fine powder coming off the rollers -- get into the gears and workings of the bike.
Sorry to go on -- the question is, do you have any idea if I could repaint them myself, and if so, what kind of paint I could use?
Thanks again!
If you want the rollers to look shiny and new, I would recommend cleaning, sanding, and re-cleaning them before priming and re-painting them. If the rollers see heavy use, the paint will likely wear off eventually, but it should be fine for a while. If you spray a couple coats of clear over the color coat, it will hold up better than color alone (not too heavy with each coat - a few lighter coats is better). Be sure to let the paint dry well before using them - if you can leave them out in the hot summer sun for a couple days you should be good.
Let me know how it goes, and post a picture if you can once you finish, I'd love to see them
One question, though -- what kind of paint would be the best to use to paint them? And what kind of clear coat would you recommend? And also....if I can't all the rust off, should I not bother trying to repaint them?
Again, thanks again for your helpful feedback.
Blond.......James Blond
One big surprise is how much peddle effort it takes even though the rollers run very free. I had assumed it would take hardly any. The bike is a road bike with 700 x 23 tires. Is this typical? So far I'm riding keeping one elbow against the wall for support. I can see it will take some time.
Fun project! Thanks! RCT
It is surprising the amount of effort it takes to turn them - if you haven't already, try shifting while you are riding and see how the different gear ratios effect the difficulty.
For a while I rode mine one handed with one hand against a wall - it does take some time to get the hang of it, but your balance will improve quickly
Nice work
I do like the idea, especially the foot pads! I'm off to price parts.
Thanks, Rich
Videos I've watched show the rear wheel slewing side to side rather rapidly. That must feel wierd at first.
(this essentially happens if the belt jumps off the roller or becomes overly slack)
There are two main reasons that I can identify:
1- If the front tire is not turning, it will not want to track side to side, and you wont be able to steer or balance well (you could set something up to hold the front fork fixed and steady, but then you would essentially have a stationary trainer)
2- The added gyroscopic effect of the spinning front wheel helps you to balance. Rollers are reasonably difficult to ride on even with both wheels spinning... trust me. It takes a bit of practice
Let me know if you need further clarification
nice stuff here--I'm prepping to do a version of this. But where did you find 3/8" bore bearings to be able to fit 3/8" rod? All the skateboard bearings I've found are 8 mm or 0.31"...
Thanks,
Sam
If you want 3/8" ID bearings, it looks like you can get them off ebay for ~$2 each
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-R6-ZZ-Ball-Bearings-3-8-x-7-8-ID-Bore-375-inch-875-/130253727695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e53ba27cf
dhouggy used actual skateboard bearings in his build - you might want to check it out if you haven't already: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bicycle-roller-trainer/
I guess my suggestion is to use whatever is easily accessible and fits within your budget - Im sure you can come up with a more clever solution than mine.
Post some pics and send me a link when you finish it. I'd like to see it.
There's one issue, I can't source material for the rollers that would suit. I live in the UK and the hardware stores have plenty of PVC pipes for plumbing (guttering and waste), but they are too thin/flimsy. Where would you find plastic pipes with walls like yours in the photo? Are they used for anything specific? I'm clueless about this.
Thanks!
I have also seen wooden rollers used - if you can find some decent 3" or so diameter logs, and have a way of drilling them - that may work.
If you can find 2" diameter sch40 PVC - you could also follow dhouggy's instructable http://www.instructables.com/id/Bicycle-roller-trainer/
Best of luck, and let me know how it turns out
I guess my point is that it's important to remember how very much we can do with a few simple tools. Our best tool and our biggest impediment is often our own imagination.
But that's enough ranting out of me for today.
Maybe I'm missing something... wouldn't two rollers on the front tire eliminate the need for the strap and provide more stability? It's mentioned in passing at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_rollers: "...Some bicycle rollers use two front drums or cylinders instead of just one..."
Are four rollers too stable, not stable enough, or just not as much fun? Looks like ALL of the commercial ones are set up like the one in this 'ible. Can anybody tell me why?
Thanks!
- it is more forgiving of the varying wheelbase between different bikes ( a double front roller requires a fairly accurate length match, where as a single front roller doesn't )
- a single roller allows for easier steering ( it creates a single contact point - much like a tire on a flat surface vs. two contact points which is more constrained)
- a single vs a double is cheaper
The strap's function is to turn the front tire - it allows the front tire to track side to side while it spins, and also adds some gyroscopic stability (riding on rollers is much more challenging than riding a stationary bike) If the instability is undesired - Then a stationary trainer would be the way to go - much simpler