How to Ride Bicycle Rollers, Step by Step

When I was just a roller newbie, I scoured YouTube for how-to videos that would teach me step-by-step how to ride rollers. There weren’t very many, and the ones I found weren’t really that detailed for someone with the anxiety of an apprehensive elephant. Maybe I was just nervous, but I really wanted to find some kind of step-by-step tutorial that laid out every little detail of what it takes. 

I’ve come a long way since those early, tentative roller rides. My confidence and my bike handling skills both got a huge boost from roller workouts and I think pretty much everyone who rides a bike should give rollers a go. Are you curious?  If you are, keep reading for a no-nonsense guide on how to get started your first time on the rollers. 

Pick Your Rollers and Your Bike 

You need a set of rollers and you need a bike. You don’t have to purchase a thousand dollar professional roller setup –  you just need a set that works. I purchased the cheapest set I could find off of Amazon – they were just a no-name set that you can’t buy anymore! 

If you have room in your budget, I highly recommend the TacX Neo rollers for around $250, but if you want to start with a less expensive set, go ahead. Just remember to check the reviews and make sure other users had good results! Watch the review videos for tips on setting up and trying out your specific rollers.

You’ll also need your bike. In theory, you should be able to ride any bike on rollers that will fit them. However, I find that a smoother tire works better and a lighter bike will be easier to manage. I prefer using my smallest road bike because that’s the one I’m most comfortable on. I know a number of folks that ride CX bikes on rollers, and even more that have mastered roller riding on their track bikes. That being said, if all you have is a mountain bike, go for it! You’ll just get a little extra vibration while you’re riding. 

Setup Your Space 

Most people will recommend learning to ride rollers in a doorway or small hallway, so that you can lean on the door frame or wall if you start to get off balance. I prefer being right next to a countertop. It’s sturdy and secure, and I can hold onto the counter for support more easily than I can the wall. That’s why you see me riding in my kitchen. 

Other options would be to ride next to the back of your sofa or next to a single wall. If you’re really brave and have good balance already, you can just ride rollers in the middle of the room without hanging on to anything! But it’s up to you!

Choose a place that is firm (ideally not carpeted) and level. It will be harder to balance if you choose a room that has a slightly sloping floor. If your floor is sloping, just position your setup so you are riding in an uphill direction. 

You’ll want to leave a little bit of space around your rollers so your handlebars don’t bang against anything and disrupt your balance. If you’re shorter like me, you’ll also want a little stepstool to help you get on and off the bike.  I like to put the stepstool on the chainring side, right next to the pedals. 

Set Up Your Rollers and Bike 

Before you begin, you’ll need to set your rollers to fit your bike. First, set your rollers on the floor and extend them to the approximate length of your bike. Adjust the feet of your rollers, if necessary, so that it sits flat on the floor and doesn’t rock. 

Next, hold your bike on the rollers with the rear wheel sitting between the set of two drums and your front wheel on the single drum. The hub of your front wheel should be just slightly behind the drum. If it’s not in the right spot, you’ll need to adjust the length of the rollers forwards or backwards so that the drums are in the right spot. Then, make sure to tighten everything down so it doesn’t come loose when you’re riding.  If you want some detailed directions, check out this article with more specifics. 

Check the tire pressure in your wheels before starting. When I ride outside, I tend to keep my tire pressure at the lower end of the range printed on the side of the wheel. But when I ride inside, on rollers, I want to keep the tire pressure towards the higher end of the range (but not over it). 

Dress for Success

One thing to know about rollers, is that your body position doesn’t change like you would outside. You don’t generally stand up when you are riding the rollers, so you may feel a little sore at first. Wearing a good quality pair of bike shorts or bib shorts with a tight-fitting chamois will definitely help! 

Just remember to avoid wearing anything flowy that could get caught in your wheel or too restricting that you can’t get on and off the bike easily. 

How to Get on the Bike 

The scariest part is getting on and off for the first time! The rollers will make you feel like you are sitting much higher off the ground than normal – this is fine! This is how I get on and off – you’ll need to adapt to what feels right to you. 

1. Set your bike gear. I like to ride rollers in the big chain ring, with the middle cog in the back. If you are a big spinner, you might before the smaller chainring. Just don’t pick too hard of a gear to start. 
2. Position your bike on the rollers. Remember, the front wheel goes on the single drum, and the back wheel goes in between the double drums. You want to make sure the bike is straight and also centered. I like to stand on the righthand side of the bike (drive side) and hold the handlebars with my right hand. 
3. Put your right foot on the step stool and step up (don’t let go of the bike! ) 
4. Hold onto your counter with your left hand. 
5. Swing your left leg over the bike and put your foot on the left pedal. Slide onto the seat. 
6. Still holding onto the counter, put your right foot on the right pedal. 
7. Rotate your left foot to the bottom and clip in, if you have pedal clips. Then rotate your right foot to the bottom and clip in.
8. Start to pedal while still holding on. You can hold on to the counter for balance for as long as you need to – in the beginning, I rode the entire time that way! But if your balance is better than mine, you won’t need to. 
9. Remember physics class? A bike stays upright when it goes fast enough to stay in motion. So you want to keep those wheels spinning fast. 
10. Once you are comfortable spinning and well-balanced, you can let go and put both hands on the handlebars. 

How to Get Off the Bike 

Get off the rollers in reverse motion. At first, I think this was scarier than getting started! But it doesn’t need to be. 

1. Shift to an easier gear, if possible. 
2. Put your left hand back onto the countertop to steady yourself. 
3. Slowly and gently slow down and stop pedaling. You don’t need to brake. The rollers will only spin for a second or two.
4. While holding onto the counter, unclip your right foot. 
5. As the wheels stop, put your right foot onto the step stool. 
6. While still holding on, unclip your foot and then shift your weight to your right foot on the stool. 
7. Swing your leg over the bike to get off but don’t let go of the bike! 
8. Step down – you’re all done!
9. Take your bike off the rollers and lean it somewhere safe before you let go.
10. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Settling In on the Rollers 

When you first start on the rollers, you’ll probably feel like your up too high and the bike feels hard to control and kind of sketchy. This is all normal and it’s the reason a lot of people never get very far with their rollers! It just takes practice. 

First of all, you can hold on to the countertop or wall as much you like. There’s no reason to let go until you are comfortable. 

Second, faster is better. Just like on the road, the faster your wheels spin, the more the bike wants to stay upright. So if you feel like you are having trouble keeping the bike from falling over, you probably need to pedal faster. 

Next, don’t look down. We all have this tendency to want to look down to make sure we are staying on the rollers, but don’t! Pick a spot on the floor 5 to 10 feet ahead of you and look there. It’s helpful to put a video on, or talk to the small child who happens to be watching you! Looking ahead will help you to stay straighter. 

Try to pedal as smoothly as possible. If your pedaling is choppy, the bike is going to swerve a lot. Rollers really do show us where our inconsistencies are, so if you are struggling to keep the bike straight, try to concentrate on your pedal stroke. 

Don’t over correct! Tiny movements have a bigger impact on the rollers than on the road, so if you do need to correct, use small movements. 

Practice Shifting. You can shift on the rollers if you want to. I often shift into a harder gear to do intervals, then back to an easier gear for rest blocks. Start with shifting up or down just one cog. You might notice that the bike jerks a little bit at first, but with practice you will get smoother shifting. 

Sit back firmly on the seat. You want to keep your weight firmly on your saddle – avoid the temptation to slide forward or lean hard on your hands. This will help you stay straighter and be more solid on the rollers. 

Keep your hips pointed where you want them to go. If you turn at the hips, you’ll turn the bike and fall off. 

Relax! When I first started, I was nervous and tense. This led to a twitchy bike, achy shoulders, and a hard time staying straight. Just relax as much as possible and keep all of the tension out of your upper body. 

Some people do all of their indoor workouts on rollers, but for the sake of consistency, you should ride them at least once a week to keep up the progress of learning how to ride them comfortably. After just a couple of tries, you’ll notice big improvements on the rollers and on the road. 

That’s it! Just to recap the most important bits: 

Use a stepstool and hold onto something sturdy to make mounting and dismounting easier. 

Spin fast! Look forward, not down. And most of all, relax! You’ve got this.