Homemade Free Motion Rollers for a Bike

Bicycle rollers are developed to help bicyclists stay in shape during the winter months without having to be subjected to the outside weather. While buying pre-made designs can be very costly, there is a way to build your own without having to spend a ton of money. Construction of one of these rollers can be done with a bit of effort and perseverance.

  1. The Materials

    • You will need a long piece of wood that is just a bit longer than your bicycle and about 3 to 5 inches thick, something heavy duty enough to stay on the ground and hold in the pieces bolted to it. You will also need two small blocks of wood about 2 inches longer than the length of your front bicycle tire when it is sitting on the ground. The last piece you will need before you get to the roller is a pipe holder to screw into the ground, a very sturdy piece of metal pipe high enough to lift the bottom bracket of your bicycle as a support beam off the ground a bit, and a half-mooned metal nipple to hold the bottom bracket in securely.

      The roller will need two skinnier metal pipes with metal nipples as well that are a bit shorter than the pipe for your bottom bracket. You will also need pipe holders for each of these.

    The Build

    • Start by screwing in the metal holder into the wood and inserting the metal pipe. Use your bicycle as a placeholder for where everything should go by setting it next to the build to measure the distance. Position the metal piping in a place where there will still be room for both the front and back wheels on the board. Once the metal pipe is in place, attach the metal nipple with cement coating it, and set the bottom bracket on for a good fitting. Leave the bike in place until the cement dries; this is a great time to tell if the metal support can hold the bike up.

      Once the cement is dry, take the two blocks of wood for the front wheel and nail them into place around the front wheel so they will become the placeholder to hold the front wheel down and balance it. It should be snug enough to hold the wheel but not so snug that the wheel cannot come out of it unless that is your plan. Now the last step is the design for the roller.

    The Roller

    • Now that everything else is built for the bicycle, it is time to mount the roller in place. Mount the pipe holders on each side of the mounts for the back bicycle tire. Put the metal pipes and the nipples in, putting cement on the nipples, and attach them to the mounts to make sure there is a good fit. Let the bicycle sit until the cement has dried and you are finished with the build and can hop on it and use it.