DIY - Building Rollers

[RockCoach]

 

 

We will soon. Have a plan up my sleeve to get ride of some excess soil...... Next time you are down this way, bring a spade

 

 

My first rollers I bought in 1995 made by BikeCaddy for R500. They lasted me for more than a decade but the one roller disintegrated quite spectacularly.

 

The second time I bought rollers was earlier this year made by Tacx for R2500. Very clever patented 'floating' design which moves the rollers under you, if you decide to stand and pedal, to keep you balanced. Rollers are also a bit concave so keeps you mostly centered. I think I'd rather have this technological progress for that price instead of trying to make something up. From what I have seen and heard it tends to be a tad noisy - which is sure to pee-off the better half.

[droo]

Back to the drawing board..... I can get 89mm grooved rollers. Might just give it a bash for the heck of it and set up in the garage....

 

That should work. Happy building...

[Stretched@Birth]

My old man built a set in the 90's. Out of steel rollers from some old scrap conveyor machinery he came across. I rode them for many years. They just made a hell of a racket.

Also had a set built by my old man, with steel rollers, they used to vibrate like crazy, the old lady used to have an arse collapse on a Tuesday night as she couldn't hear Dallas.

[porqui]

Should be quite easy to make. Simple steel frame - wooden rollers with slight concave shape if wanted and belt from belt shop. Rollers can easily be turned by woodworker.

Edited November 9, 2012 by porqui

[Johan Bornman]

cut cut cut cut cut

 

Upon closer inspection though I see that the rollers look like they have a very shallow V which makes sense as that wouls track you to the centre of the roller.

 

This is the opposite of what really happens in this situation. A wheel will automatically track to the major dimension in a non-linear roller. In other words, if you have a groove in there, it will want to jump the groove (the minor dimension) to the bulge (called the major dimension).

 

This is completely counter-intuitive. A wheel that is clamped rigidly in one of those trainers with an aluminium roller, often developes a groove in the roller. Once that happens, the tyre continually squirms away from the rim in order to jump to the larger part of the roller.

 

Although a roller set looks simple, it is quite a job to make one. I recently made a special roller for one of my wheelchair racer customers and it was a complex job, not aided by the fact that the wheels sit at a 13 degree angle from verticala nd the two wheels are independently driven.

 

I suggest you just bite the bullet and buy one off the shelf. Are they that expensive?

[Grebel]

*Snip, snip*

 

I suggest you just bite the bullet and buy one off the shelf. Are they that expensive?

 

While I appreciate the complexities of the design etc, at the end of the day it isn't about the cost saving, but rather about the sense of accomplishment once they have been built and they work.

 

There are those that look at things and say to themselves "I can build that!" Not everybody follows through. I am one of those people with a garage full of successful as well as failed attempts at DIY. There are also a few "work in progress" items....

 

Almost like those that can do their own maintenance vs those that send their bike in for a service.

[Gary57]

I own a conveyor company and would be happy to donate a set of rollers if I have the material in stock.

 

Let me know what size etc you are looking for.

[Grebel]

I own a conveyor company and would be happy to donate a set of rollers if I have the material in stock.

 

Let me know what size etc you are looking for.

 

Thanks Gary. PM on it's way.