It's that time of year: Trainer vs Roller

With daylight quickly escaping its time to start moving training into the garage. OK. It has probably been asked many times here but what is better to train indoors on, a trainer or a roller?

I have alot of experience with trainers, both magnetic and fluid. I like the fact that you can do other things like watch tv when on them. I don't like the fact that no matter what the brand you never really have that real road feel. Is it the same with rollers?

Also, how do you control resistance on a roller?
How difficult is it to stay balanced on a roller ?
Do rollers eat up your tires like trainers do?
I would be putting my road bike on it, but can you also efficiently use the MTB bike ?

In the end which is better, trainer or roller?

 

I can't stand trainers, so I picked up some rollers from some other member on here a month ago. Best ten bucks ever spent.

I've been doing 20 minutes every other day at home when I don't feel like doing a lunch or after work ride. I'm sweating bullets before 10 minutes is up, and after 30 minutes I'm sure you could collect a small pool worth of sweat.


My only complaints:
They get loud, even on carpeted floors
I have to figure out something to put under mine to absorb the sweat

Otherwise, you need to get some! Last night I spent 30min on mine while watching the Cowboys lose, it was awesome! You're inclined to look at the front wheel initially, but you can get over that by looking up at something like a TV

1. I'm not sure any of them can be adjusted tension wise, but many if not most are adjustable for various wheel bases.
2. That's the fun. It can be tricky the first time, but eventually everyone that I've seen gets the hang of it after a few tries. I feel real comfortable on mine, and have gotten squirly on mine while doing stupid tricks, just to see if I could.
3. Supposedly yes.
4. Running MTB tires on them makes them even louder, feels meh (in my opinion), and can wear down your tires pretty quickly. Use the road bike, or have an extra set of slicks for the MTB

They won't let me ride my rollers indoors at work (liability or something) so the other day I took mine outside and did 20 minutes in the alley with no wall to get help from. That's a bit tricky to learn how to do at first.

edit: example of some of the stupid stuff I've been trying thanks to this video LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiCdm5FsJpg

 

teach me about rollers vs trainers. i thought they were the same thing? im looking at some to get some better stamina in and more ride time.

 

Dude it's not like we live in Minnesota! Buy a light with the same amount of money that you would spend on the trainer or the rollers and keep riding all year long. There is no reason to stop riding when you live in So Cal. If you have never been night riding join me I've got 3 sets of lights. You can also go night riding with your road bike. Both will change you life.

just my 2 cents.

 

1. Some rollers have resistance units. The high end brand is kreitler, which come in 3 sizes for different resistance (lower the diameter, more resistance). You can also add a flywheel and/or headwind unit to increase resistance.
2. It's not very difficult to stay balanced, but you definitely need to concentrate more. Make sure you're by a wall or doorway so you can grab on when you start/stop.
3. Yes, rollers eat up your tires. Not sure how much it is relative to trainers.
4. Not recommended for mtn bike use. Not very smooth, eats up tires. Get some slicks.

I like my rollers, but I can't say it's the same to real world riding. I also couldn't say I can use it comfortably for daily cardio. It's moreso for spinning training. I can go 20-30 minutes, but I'd like the option of doing an hour or so and just watching some TV or something.

Another consideration is with carbon frames. It's said that using trainers on carbon frames voids the warranty, but not so on rollers. Something about the sideways twisting that is exerted on a trainer. I've seen many people use carbon frames on trainers, but I just went directly to rollers because I worry too much.

I am currently on Kreitler 4.5 (poly end caps). Super nice, super smooth. I have another set of magura magrollers and an adjustable resistance unit. PM me if you want to trade for a trainer or buy it outright.

 

Trainers: Clamp the back wheel in, put the front wheel on a phone book to level it out......pedal......takes no skill, no thought.....gets boring really quickly....wears out tires quicker than rollers.

Rollers: 3 cylinders(kinda like dyno for the car) with a band that runs from the rear cylinders to the front cylinder....about 18" wide......initally like riding on ice....every little bit of input on the bars, is multiplied, and you usually fall off....takes some skill to ride.....takes more concentration.....works on balance while pedaling.....works pretty well....closer to really riding than the trainer......tires last longer.


Personally, I like the rollers....when I have to use one or the other.....they are harder to ride, until you get really comfortable and good on them. I still have trouble standing and pedaling on the rollers, whereas on the trainer it is not a problem.

 

I've been looking at getting something myself, I'd like to be able to get some cardio in when I'm watching TV. I"m leaning towards the rollers so it's a little less boring.

 

Your 2 cents is worth every word.
Ride outdoors, all year long.

Wanna loan a light set?
I'm sure that all of my old Night Suns are long dead.

 

On my rollers I have the removable front wheel holder (both qr and 20mm thru ) that attaches to the roller frame. I used the attachment untill I was smooth enough to go without the support for the front. It also has the fluid resistance unit on back.
I have only used rollers and it helped my spinning and balance big time.....but I'm still slow.

Now I have one of those computer controled recumbent thingie trainers, with a few hill programs.

 

Thank you all for your opinions. I beleive I'll be looking into getting a roller and trying it out. Will advise how it goes.

 

I don't think I could do my interval set on rollers, but honestly I've never tried. I like spinning on them ok, but when I finish a 30min tempo session or 10min threshold effort the last thing I can do is hold myself up balanced on rollers At least at this point!! I fell off and hit my head once too. I think I'll mostly be training outdoors this winter, though, so that should net me a few "hard" points if nothing else. I never minded the trainer sessions I did last year (up to 2hrs plus). Watched (and outlasted) the Bourne series.

Regarding sweating... you gotta keep yourself cool no matter what you choose. Bowl(s) full of ice to put your hands/wrists in, multiple fans, open windows, etc.

 

Trainer, roller and what do you think about a stationary bike ( spinning bike) ? is it better?

 

I've never found a spinning bike that I could fine tune to the same fitting as my road or mountain bike. Always felt unusual on them, though I guess that might partly be due to the fact that I've only sat on them in Gyms or Hotels. If I had the time to perfectly measure it out and fine tune I guess a spinning bike could work. There is the cost fact though. Good trainers or rollers are between $300-$500. Beleive a really good spinning bike is much more? The Cycleops training bikes are $2,000+

 

Check the wheel base of your MTB if you are planning on getting rollers, it may not work. I have a set of Magura rollers and my 21" Stumpjumper will not fit on it. The frt wheel is off the front of the roller. I cant length it anymore to accomodate the MTB wheelbase. On the other hand I have ridden both of my road bikes( 61cm Roubaix and 63cm Cannondale) on them with no problems.

As for other options you can look at Insideride.com, there E-motion rollers look awesome. Its the only ones I have seen that you can actually sprint on without slowly building speed. As for trainers, check out the Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer. Its designed to allow side to side motion of the whole bike. Carbon frame friendly. Sort of simulates outdoor riding, I guess.

 

Want to roll?

http://www.trutrainer.com/products_rollers.shtml


TruTrainer rollers may look like regular rollers but they don’t feel like them. In fact, they are unlike any trainer you have ever ridden. The secret, aside from their extraordinary quality, is a high speed tubular flywheel contained inside the rear roller. The flywheel duplicates the cyclic resistance experienced during each pedal stroke as well as resistance to continuous acceleration. Additionally, viscous drag forces between the flywheel and roller simulate wind and rolling resistance. What does this mean to you? Plenty.

• You enjoy an ultra-smooth ride with a natural “road” feel.
• You can pedal out of the saddle in a natural manner.
• You can coast for long periods (30 seconds) to stretch, adjust your shorts, or restore blood flow to critical areas.
• Mental fatigue and boredom are significantly reduced; therefore you are inclined to train for longer periods of time (one elite college cyclist rode them for six hours straight last winter).
• Interval training is enhanced because the flywheel requires significant energy to accelerate to racing speed.
• No external load devices to leak or over heat. No electronic gizmos to fiddle with. No frills at all, really. Just pure, simple riding pleasure.

 

I have to agree. After 25 years of cycling on mtn bikes, road bikes, tri bikes, I have tried it all when it comes to training. Nothing compares with the real thing. The night light technology is great now with light weight batteries that are really bright. I have used them on my mtn bikes and road bikes and never have had a problem with training in the dark. I live in Santa Clarita and we have a network of paved trails and good mtn bike trails with alot of riders utilizing lights to ride in the evening. Give it a try!

 

The real problem with spinner bikes is that they are like riding a block of concrete. They don't react to your movement. No leaning, no bouncing. no arm movement, no balancing, nothing.

 

Riding a trainer or rollers is about as much fun as mowing the lawn, or watching paint dry. With all of the night rides going in So Cal you can find people to ride with just about every night of the week.

again just my 2 cents.

 

OK. Bought the Trvael Trac red rollers and tried them out for the first time today. Wow. What a workout. Took about 5 minutes to get uses to it. Unlike a trainer and for that matter even riding outdoors, there is no coasting. You stop you fall unless you can grab onto something. A consistent effort. Worked up to 150-160 bpm in about 10 minutes and was able to maintain 160-170 bpm consistently.

As to the suggestion of lights and continuing outdoor riding: +1. Agreed, but not always practical for every day training. Now easy to grab a quick 30-40 minutes before or right after work.

 

I made this for a friend who wanted to be convinced of the virtue of rollers. Our rollers move a bit though. Feels like actually riding.

http://vimeo.com/16005139