Trainer/Rollers Help

Hey, guys, you'll notice (or maybe not) that this is my first post here...befittingly enough, I have a rather simple question to ask, I hope this is the right place.

I've been interested in getting either a trainer or rollers for my bike. I have tried to do research but haven't found any good information yet. Think you guys could point me to some? I want to know the differences (pros & cons) between the two and which ones I should be looking at to buy. If you could, can ya point me to some info, or post it on here? Also, I don't need the highest end gear, just something that'll allow me to ride at home when I couldn't otherwise, and that is reliable/efficient.

Thanks
Captain Anthem

For trainers check out the one's from 1upUSA.com or from CycleOps. They'll give you resistance. Rollers tend to be used more for developing/maintaining spin technique in the off season, so maybe you don't get quite as good a workout. Kreitler makes good rollers.

Okay, then maybe I'm not looking for rollers at all. I also don't know the pros/cons of wind, fluid, or magnetic either.

i was recently looking into trainers and ended up buying an Elite Crono fluid trainer. prior to that, i was using mag trainers in spin classes and absolutely hated them. they just didn't seem to feel right. the fluid trainer definitely feels a lot better. resistence increases with speed and you also use your gears to add resistance.

from what i've read, wind trainers have a similar feel to fluid trainers but can be noisy.

boon

Fluid trainers have a bit more realistic ride than some of the others. I have a Kurt Kinetic Fluid Trainer, and have had great luck with it. If I remember right, I think the Kurt Kinetic's fluid system is completely isolated, so there are no chance of fluid leaks (important for the continuity of my marriage!). I can be on my trainer and watch TV without much of a noise issue.

I've also heard good things about the CycleOps.

Check out Kreitler rollers, with a wind unit. You get the best of both worlds, resistance and realistic road feel. I can get my HR up as high as I like without the crazy speeds. I would suggest riding both; I find a trainer extremely boring, while rollers tend to keep you engaged and actively monitoring your form all the time.

My setup: Kreitler Dynolytes, Killer headwind, weighted 'momentum' unit on the back and a stand for my wife. Whole kit cost 400 bucks used. Paired with some Tour/Giro/Vuelta DVDs and your set.

chris

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Oh yeah, I guess I never mentioned that I want to be able to get it pretty cheap too. If I'm asking for too much, let me know.

www.roadbikereview.com

go to the reviews section, then you'll see another section for Trainers and Rollers. There are ratings on a slew of trainers and rollers there.

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All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.

Yeah, I have looked there...but what a site like that can't do, is suggest which I should be looking for, like a forum can. However, it is a good place to go after you know what you want to check out some reviews of the product.

I always felt that I would never want to subject my nice road frame to the abnormal stresses created by the rear end being clamped in a trainer. I cannot imagine that you will not ultimately break any frame by subjecting it to stresses that it was never designed for. Am I being paranoid here? Comments?

You're being paranoid. I have never heard of a frame being broken even when using a tandem on a trainer. If you tried really really hard to do it well........
It requires alot of motovation to use a trainer. I bought a Cyclops fluid and I lasted about 1 winter and haven't used it since. It's currently on loan to a friend who needs the excercise after an operation.

Cheers

Geoff

Too bad you spent $400 bucks for a trainer and you still can't Really ride your bike on those rollers.
Take a look at these: insideride.com E-motion rollers

you smell like an emotion troll. i think that unless you edit your remarks ill post a link on how to make your own "motion" rollers for bout 20 bucks.

some common misconceptions:
you cant stand on rollers. -yes, you can stand on rollers, it just takes plenty of practice and a really smooth spin.

you can't ride without hands. -yes you can, again practice and technique. i

guess what if comes down to is if you want to spend 800 bucks just so you can mash the pedals without riding off the front, or if you want to develop a good spin, doesn't it.

despite how it sounds, i really dont have a problem with e-motion rollers, and will be making my own variation. homeboy above just needs to look at his bias response.

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it doesnt get any easier, you only get faster.



do you have a late 90's merckx corsa 01, or colnago 58cm frameset lying around? let me know.

I have a minoura rim trainer and some Minoura Action Mag Rollers with magnetic resistance attached. The rim trainer I have used once and hate the dead feel. The rollers on the other hand are magnificent to ride and can provide as much resistance as any trainer with the mag unit attached. Added benefit is the improvement in pedal stroke and balance. A trainer on it's own with actually reduce both of these!

As for standing and even momentarily stopping - I can do both on rollers and I've only been riding for three years (6 months on rollers). Rollers are the go ... forget a trainer. I use mine only for intervals that require >95% effort.

Well, I have no doubt that the frame will hold up in the sense that there will be no stress failure. What I am worried about is fatigue failure. What happens to your frame after you have been rocking the frame in those clamps for the equivalent of a couple of thousand miles? Anybody have any data on this?

Again, no frame is designed for that kind of load, and many frames, well, at least high-end frames, are optimized so as to not waste any weight on strength where it is not needed under normal riding conditions. It seems to me that this is a recipe for disaster when using such a frame in a trainer, where it will be subjected to oscillating bending loads that never occur on a normal ride.