Re: resistance unit for rollers

On Tue, 14 May 2024 17:08:11 -0500,
  AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

 On 5/14/2024 4:25 PM, Ted Heise wrote:

Many years ago (25?) I upgraded from a junky old set of
rollers to the standard Kreitler set.  That was a stretch for
my budget at the time, so instead of getting the headwind unit
I cobbled together a way to clamp the mag resistance unit from
the old rollers onto the Kreitler frame.
 
Last time I was on the rollers I rode off the edge and banged
the resistance unit off its mount (far from the first time
that's happened).  When I went to set up the rollers this
afternoon, I noticed the odd plastic parts I had previously
found on the floor had broken off from the edge of the mag
unit pulley the belt rides on.  So now I'm shopping for a
replacement resistance device.

 Fans are very effective resistance and cheap, but loud, which
 many riders find annoying. OTOH some fans include a shroud to
 direct a fresh breeze toward the meat machine (you).

I generally take out my hearing aids when riding (when they start
buzzing from the sweat I get concerned!) so the noise prolly isn't
disqualifying.  On the other hand, I sometimes want to listen to
podcasts or watch old racing videos, so I do need to be able to
hear that stuff.  I also often run a box fan, so am used to a fair
bit of noise.

 Mag units are quieter and offer a wide range of resistance
 levels as you report.  Polymer degradation after 25 years is
 not at all unusual. I'd consider just making a new mount- YMMV.

Ironically, the mount I cobbled together (includes a section of
old rim to fill a gap) is still workable.  Rather, the plastic
piece that broke off was about a third of the circumference of
one side of the pulley that the v-belt rides in.  I tried gluing
it back on, but it's not going to hold up.

 A flywheel impedes acceleration but is hardly noticeable at
 constant speed. Depends of what you like, I suppose.

Yeah, that makes sense.  Thinking I'll probably go with the fan,
but will mull it over for a while more.

Thanks for the input!

--
Ted Heise      <theise@panix.com>       West Lafayette, IN, USA