how to maintain rollers?

[jasonification]

Just got a hand-me-down set of old school Minoura rollers from a friend (3 inch drums, made in Japan). I'm guessing they're a few decades old and may need a bit of oil here and there. Any recommendations on how you maintain your rollers? Thanks!

[Geekonbike]

Assuming that the Roller Drums run on Cartridge bearings....

Un-Bolt the drums from the frame, pop out cartridge bearing seals and have a look...if it has just been sitting, the bearings are probably just dry. Pump in a little grease of your choosing and repeat for each one.

I'd also replace the belt that connects the drums. You will probably be able to get it from Minoura.

After that you should be good to go. Most rollers are really simple and don't require much. Just remember to wipe it down after each ride to prevent sweat corrosion. I have also found that those "sweat thongs" that attach to the seatpost and handlebars are pretty useful on the rollers. Balancing a towel gets a little sketchy.

[cachagua]

"Sweat thong", I hadn't heard them called that.

Gotta give yourself something nice to think about while you're riding in the basement...

But yes, those things are essential.

[jasonification]

Originally Posted by cachagua

"Sweat thong", I hadn't heard them called that.

Gotta give yourself something nice to think about while you're riding in the basement...

But yes, those things are essential.

Now I can't get that imagery out of my mind..shudder. Thanks all

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[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by Geekonbike

... Just remember to wipe it down after each ride to prevent sweat corrosion. I have also found that those "sweat thongs" that attach to the seatpost and handlebars are pretty useful on the rollers. Balancing a towel gets a little sketchy.

All great advice. My additions:

Wipe the rollers and the frame with a WET rag after sweaty rides. It's the lingering, salty sweat which is the death knell for rollers. I have repainted Kreitler frames that saw such abuse.

NEVER drape a towel over the bars if you're riding rollers; drape it over your shoulders. Just ask Chris Boardman or Graem Obree. One of them failed to follow that rule. The towel went into the front wheel and I think they broke their collarbone.

[11.4]

You asked about the rollers, and Minouras in particular.

The band is silicone and is fine unless it actually has cracks in it, which are very unlikely. Take some soap and hot water and scrub the band exhaustively to get off the grit and dried grease that accumulates on it. At the same time, scrub the band slots on the roller drums, because they also fill with crap and it all makes the rollers a bit uneven and adds noise.

I'd take off all the hardware and the drums and scrub the frames carefully, plus the loose hardware. Use some anti-rust primer wherever any metal has rusted through the paint. Rust will get under the decals and any anti-slip pads that have been applied, so check out there.

The feet have rubber caps that are probably shot. Replace them with crutch tips from your local Ace Hardware.

As for the drums themselves, I'd take some mineral spirits and soak and scrub the drums carefully to get off any residual tire rubber and ground-in dirt. See how the bearings feel and sound; if they're quiet and smooth, you're ok. If squeaky, they are out of lube and you need to disassemble. They are simple cheap bearings without real seals so you can spray them until they're clean and infiltrate them with a heavy oil. If they don't rotate well, including after cleaning, you may need to replace them. Any bearing supply can replace them for a couple bucks apiece, but I've never seen bearings actually go bad unless someone left the rollers out in the rain for months.

For an old pre-digital pair of rollers, that's all you should need to do. Rollers get beat up from all the perspiration, and these aren't particularly expensive rollers, so don't expect them to last forever. Rollers are all about sweat.

[jasonification]

Originally Posted by 11.4

You asked about the rollers, and Minouras in particular.

The band is silicone and is fine unless it actually has cracks in it, which are very unlikely. Take some soap and hot water and scrub the band exhaustively to get off the grit and dried grease that accumulates on it. At the same time, scrub the band slots on the roller drums, because they also fill with crap and it all makes the rollers a bit uneven and adds noise.

I'd take off all the hardware and the drums and scrub the frames carefully, plus the loose hardware. Use some anti-rust primer wherever any metal has rusted through the paint. Rust will get under the decals and any anti-slip pads that have been applied, so check out there.

The feet have rubber caps that are probably shot. Replace them with crutch tips from your local Ace Hardware.

As for the drums themselves, I'd take some mineral spirits and soak and scrub the drums carefully to get off any residual tire rubber and ground-in dirt. See how the bearings feel and sound; if they're quiet and smooth, you're ok. If squeaky, they are out of lube and you need to disassemble. They are simple cheap bearings without real seals so you can spray them until they're clean and infiltrate them with a heavy oil. If they don't rotate well, including after cleaning, you may need to replace them. Any bearing supply can replace them for a couple bucks apiece, but I've never seen bearings actually go bad unless someone left the rollers out in the rain for months.

For an old pre-digital pair of rollers, that's all you should need to do. Rollers get beat up from all the perspiration, and these aren't particularly expensive rollers, so don't expect them to last forever. Rollers are all about sweat.

Thank you for the detailed response! Looks like I have a project for thanksgiving break. The rollers came without the band, so I've just ordered a set! Should all the drums roll smoothly? The ones at the end seem to roll just fine. However, the middle one, while not rough, does not roll freely.

[jasonification]

Also, this is the trainer in question

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[bitpuddle]

Originally Posted by jasonification

Also, this is the trainer in question

I think they have quite a nice patina.

[Peter P.]

I've stripped and painted roller rails before; a nice little project. In your case, strip the paint with low VOC CitriStrip, apply a rust neutralizer, then sand what you can. Rattle can 'em after. For ease, I brought mine to a local steel supplier and had them sandblasted.

Wait until spring when you don't need to use the rollers.

[11.4]

Set of bands? It should just be one.

[jasonification]

Originally Posted by 11.4

Set of bands? It should just be one.

Whoops. I meant I got just one replacement band!

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[Mikej]

I keep mine like NEW by never taking them out of the closet...

[Davist]

the bands are pretty much universal, I have old American Classic ones and use the generic bands from Performance or Nashbar every couple years as needed, about $20 if memory serves..

[11.4]

Diameters and lengths can vary. Be sure you get the right diameter so it doesn't want to get caught in the groove and then pop out. Too small a diameter will slip.

As for length, if they need to be shortened, just cut and melt the ends with a hot knife or iron and rejoin them. That's how most of the manufacturers actually do it. They are very stretchy so for the small differences involved in different drum diameters (the spacing will typically be the same), a little extra tension isn't a problem; being too slack is.

Twenty-year old bands weren't made of the materials used today. If you have a current band on there, replacement isn't really necessary. Just clean it regularly as described. My track team may have a spare band floating around, but we live on our rollers (Kreitlers, mostly) and even an accidental cut we just re-splice. The only time we might replace it is if it gets sliced lengthwise or cut in several places from a bad packing job.