mag/wind trainer vs rollers? advice please

Trainers are easier to ride and have mor resistance than you could poke a crank at but are also boring after a short while and they wear out your rear tyre like nothing else.
Rollers have resistance similar to the road requiring a more natural pedaling action, have more inertia thanks to your extra spinning wheel and require you to develop your stability at the same time. (Steer with the hips and not with the hands).
If you get rollers with barrels about 3 or 3.5 inches in diameter then there'll be plenty of resistance for intervals.
A trainer would be essential for sprint training but for anything else you will probably sit on rollers for longer cos it's more fun (and you can stil watch tv or listen to the radio if need be).

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tafi
Trainers are easier to ride and have mor resistance than you could poke a crank at but are also boring after a short while and they wear out your rear tyre like nothing else.
Rollers have resistance similar to the road requiring a more natural pedaling action, have more inertia thanks to your extra spinning wheel and require you to develop your stability at the same time. (Steer with the hips and not with the hands).
If you get rollers with barrels about 3 or 3.5 inches in diameter then there'll be plenty of resistance for intervals.
A trainer would be essential for sprint training but for anything else you will probably sit on rollers for longer cos it's more fun (and you can stil watch tv or listen to the radio if need be).

Thanks Taf. I do a weekly/fortnightly ergo session with a coach with lots of sprint training, and there's always a sprint or two to be had out on the road so maybe the rollers might be the go for home. Mighty try and borrow a set of each to see what works.

Hey guys, I'm in the same position, looking for an indoor trainer that I can use at work during lunch (can't leave the office).

I thought about buying rollers and spent yesterday looking on ebay for a used set but could only find them for sale in the US. Trainers on the other hand are quite common for sale here and in the US. I sort of took this to mean that people with rollers never got rid of them.

I've seen rollers used for warmup at the velodrome and before road races more than I've seen rear wheel resistance type of trainers. Based on these observations I decided on rollers. This was reinforced by things I read about rollers improving your skills and the ease of getting the bike onto the roller and off the roller to race, that is, not using your expensive race tyres on the trainer.

However, this morning I went to the local bike store for advice and was convinced to go for an indoor trainer and not a roller. The main issues I was told with the roller was the problem of riding off the edge of the roller or going over the front of the roller (so you can't really accelerate or do intervals on a roller) and having to concentrate all the time on keeping your balance and keeping onto the roller.

However, since leaving the store I've been reading forum articles and now have decided the trainer may not be the way to go. Right now I'm really really not sure.

The main issues with the trainer seems to be tyre wear and tear and in one forum a guy talked about stress on the back end of the bike (something someone had mentioned to me in the past) though the bike store owner (who I have a lot of faith in) didn't think damage to the back end of the bike was an issue.

The other question is tyre resistance or rim resistance in the trainer. Minoura's most expensive models are rim resistance but people are questioning putting stress on the rim and not the tyre. ????

So far I think I've decided against the wind type (due to noise) and oil/fluid types (due to leaking), so the question remains rollers, mag type resistance on the tyre or mag type resistance on the rim ??

Taf, any advice you have would be much appreciated and Armchair Spaceman, let me know how you go on the borrowed ones, nothing beats experience.

By the way, I ride to work and home each day with hills aplenty. My main use of the trainer would be improving technique (full pedal motion) and balance but would like to do sprint work also (perhaps tie the bike to something behind it by the seat post to stop it coming off the roller forward ???)

Rod

Rod
Seems you don't live very far from me. I live at Caringbah and also ride to work every day. (I've got to get back into doing that again soon).
Anyway. I've started using rollers (my flatmates set) and I find them excellent. As long as they are set at the right length then you won't ride off the front of them and the whole idea of rollers is that you learn better technique so you DON'T ride off the side.
I did intervals on them the other day and though the tyres slipped off the rollers a couple of times I had it set up on the balcony so i could just grab the railing.
Having used a trainer in the past I know that they are boring to use and the issues of tyre wear and frame flex are real. The more you flex the frame, the less life you'll get out of it (particularly if its Aluminium). Certainly sprints will probably require a trainer or riding on the road but for developing smooth power I think that using rollers would be more beneficial.
So far after a couple of weeks of on/off use I can ride no hands (I think this is easier than with hands on the bars), hoods, drops, tops and aerobars (these are harder, just a bit more concentration and stability required) and the hardest of all standing on the pedals (only for a short stint). It has only taken a bit of a clear head and a relaxed approach initially and I don't believe I have any special talent in this area.

I am now looking for m own set and will get some soon. They are a lot more fun to use than a trainer and you will get more use out of them.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tafi
Rod
Seems you don't live very far from me. I live at Caringbah and also ride to work every day. (I've got to get back into doing that again soon).

Hey Tafi, since you live in Caringbah you may have seen me on the road in the past few months or may have seen my Sutherland Shire Road Cycling Survey. If you haven't then email me at [email hidden] and I'll send you a copy. I have 199 responses from Shire roadies and need one or two more.

When I was researching the trainers and rollers I was offered a free trial of a fluid and a mag trainer and then a roller by one of my club mates at Southern Cross. Just as as I was about to try them my father saw his doctor about a knee replacement and was told he had to spend some time each day on an excercise bike.

Knowing that the trainer and roller would not be suitable for a 65 year old with bad knees, I purchased a NordicTrack Spin bike that can be set up just like my road bike.

Although I have no experience with the trainers or rollers to compare the spin bike with, all I can say is that the 1K I spent on the bike is well worth it.

The bike as a felt type brake system on the front disk providing so much resistance I have to get out of the saddle and can only last a minute or two (and I ride up Artillery Hill two mornings a week).

The bike is excellent for one leg rotations because you can sit on the seat with your free leg resting in the centre and because the thing is fixed and not freewheeling, it provides the same fullon pedalling requirement as does a track bike. (Boy was I surprised at how quickly I got tired when you cannot freewheel.)

Best of all the spin bike is just sitting there ready to go with my road bike down stairs waiting for the ride home. No mucking around setting up or removing the bike from the trainer or the rollers. Just hop on the spin bike, set the resistance and pedal. When my brain gives up on work and I want a break I just hop on and go hard for a few minutes. Even after a running session to just hop on and warm down for a few minutes without sweating all over my road bike is great.

Although about twice the cost of the rollers, the spin bikes don't have any electronics and have standard cranks, the bottom bracket has a sealed bearing unit and the pedals and seat are changeable. The only negative is that the handlebars don't have a standard stem and can't be replaced with hoops. (Still working on fixing that).

Although the rollers, like you say, will improve technique on the bike, I had to compromise so that my father can work his knees. Perhaps in the future the rollers will come too.

Rod