Bike roller VS Resistance trainer



LB CYCLIST

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Mar 22, 2010
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hi everyone its been a wile since i posted on this site, i been riding every chance i get and starting to see some progress in my speed and distance.
the only bad thing is sometimes it can be pretty hard to break away and hit the road.
sometimes i get home from work late,or im off work and watching my 3 year old son.if not my wife has to work late.im not a big fan of riding at night since the streets around here can be pretty damgerous,pot holes, drivers etc.

im been lookin into buyin either a roller or resistance trainer,that way when im home watchin my son i can be pedaling away in the house,and not miss a day or so.

i wanna work on my speed and distance aswell. im new to cycling and not really sure wich 1 to buy.the reason for me buyin one is so i can try to increase my speed,or distance .

any info advice would help.

thank you for your time.
;)
 
your going to get a slew of different opinions but their just that-opinions. My opinion, and it's just an opinion, that resistance trainers are more aimed toward a person wanting to get as much of a workout as possible, whereas rollers are more for balance and more of a road feel. Trainers are more stable, you don't have to worry about balance or coming off a roller, and you can easily stand and sprint with a trainer. With a trainer you can also keep training after an accident where you may have had a shoulder or arm injury.

Trainers though do nothing for working on balance, but you shouldn't have to that anyways; you wear out the rear tire fast but you can buy special rear tires made just for a trainer but you can't use it on the street which means you would have to change the tire or wheel before riding on the street or trainer; also you can break or damage skewers which is why most trainers supply you with a cheap steel skewer to use in place of your good one.

Rollers I have covered their pros, more realistic road feel, better shifting ability, help with balance, help with pedal stroke because if your stroke is bad or choppy you will fall off the roller!

Rollers cons is that most have no resistance, but some real expensive ones do.

Which one do I like? I like the resistance trainer because pedal stroke and balance is not an issue for me, and the cost is way cheaper then going with a roller with resistance. But others will tell you they like rollers better and that's ok. You decide from the suggestions which appeals to you the most and go with that.

Keep in mind all indoor training devices are BORING! You need to have water at hand, and a fan blowing directly in front of you to simulate being outdoors where the air current of you moving forward keeps you body cooler. A TV is helpful, and there's even training videos you can pop into a tv and follow the program.
 
LB CYCLIST said:
im been lookin into buyin either a roller or resistance trainer,that way when im home watchin my son i can be pedaling away in the house,and not miss a day or s
;)

Some rollers have resistance units, however, if you have a little one wandering around while you're riding, a stationary trainer may be a safer bet than rollers. Wouldn't want to topple onto the little guy.
 
jollyrogers said:
Some rollers have resistance units, however, if you have a little one wandering around while you're riding, a stationary trainer may be a safer bet than rollers. Wouldn't want to topple onto the little guy.
You wouldn't want them any where near where they can poke their fingers/hands into a spinning wheel, which will happen with most trainers. Some self contained ergo bikes have protective covers.
 
cool thanks everyone for the good info, i think im gonna go with the trainer, my son is 3 and i only plan on riding when he is nappin or asleep.i wouldnt want to hurt him or put him in any risk.

thanks everyone for the good advice.

and froze i apreciate you breakin it down for me. i now have a better idea on what to get.
thanks.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is the noise. Trainers are noisey by themselves and then when you add in the fan to keep you cool, and a TV turned up loud enough to be heard over the trainer and fan noise, it gets pretty loud.
 
well heres a pic of my trainer with my new bike my uncle sent me down.he sent me a schwinn paramount,older model but it rides great. i now have a bike to call my own.
i ended up finding the trainer for 50 bucks from a local listing from a guy that didnt need it anymore. for the price i cant complain. its like new.

29320_1411064124177_1459732393_1107329_1535483_n.jpg

:)
 

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