Trying to get the hang of it

Hate to admit it, but summer is over. Leaves are changing colors and the days are getting shorter. Even had to throw on the jacket last night while Emily and I were downtown catching a show. That being said, I'm trying to prep for winter (workout wise). I've been pretty consistent with the four days of lifting at the gym and the Monday night ride. What happens when it snows? Many of us have discussed purchasing snowshoes to make some tracks in the snow. My snowboard is waxed and ready. I need to get my dad's cross country skis from the basement in Michigan. Last year's biking when it was cold didn't go so well. We tried many times, only to fall short because of the unplowed trails or just too cold of temps. Well I finally caved and bought a roller.

I tend to get VERY bored doing cardio indoors, even with a tv or tunes playing. That is why I can't stand being on the treadmill at the gym. That being said I wasn't sure how much I would like being on a roller, so I didn't drop the big bucks to buy a Kreitler or a Minoura.  Checked around at the local bike shops and they only had a few trainers (if any) and no rollers whatsoever. Checked the regular go to online shops and saw some good reviews for the Performance branded Travel Trac Technique. They had the Inertial roller where you could adjust the resistance, came with PVC parabolic shaped rollers so you don't fly off the edge. But it was pretty pricey. Asked Aaron and he recommended the cheaper alloy roller, says it works great. Sold!

What you don't see is my right hand glued to the wall! 

Finally got it set up this afternoon. Measure your wheelbase, adjust your front roller, and you're ready to roll! Well almost. I've read stories of people flying off the edges and running into furniture. I decided to start in the garage where I could at least hold onto a wall. My Panaracer slicks aren't in yet, but hopefully they will be this week. The Conti Double Fighters seemed super knobby on the rollers, even with them being commuter tires. I'll have to put the Trek on the roller just to see how the Race Kings feel.

I've heard that rollers are good to perfect your technique when it comes to pedaling and staying in a straight line. That's actually what I need. Sometimes I feel like I'm putting on a comedy routine on the singletrack for the rider behind me. Probably looks like I'm riding half drunk most of the time...I'm usually all over the trail! Anyway, learning on the rollers is suppose to be a fairly quick and easy process. I hope so. Winter, bring it!