Bike trainer vs. Roller
242
Member
1000 days
fpugsley posted 1 year ago.
I have never ridden a roller, but from what I hear, they are much better at making your cycling inconsistencies/shortcomings obvious. Put on a movie, get a fan, put a towel or yoga mat on the floor and pay attention so you dont ride off the side of the rollers and fly into the wall!
I have a Kurt Kinetics fluid trainer. I got a killer deal on it and some pvc rollers (yet to be used) With the trainer, you can more easily do one leg spins and they dont take up as much room i guess. It's summer so I dont use them at all right now.
3354
Member
1412 days
RV posted 1 year ago.
You can get a good roller for $100.
Rollers help develop a much smoother pedal stroke and improve your handling abilities.
However rollers require constant attention when riding else you end up speeding across the basement and crashing. :eek:
I have both - the trainer is more versatile for training. But I love my rollers.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
2950
Member
1368 days
Anton posted 1 year ago.
I'm with RV..Man! I love the rollers..using them consistantly you WILL become a better rider.
But the trainer allows you to get in some great speed work... and go much harder than on the rollers..
If you can only spring for one...spring for the trainer.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
367
Member
835 days
mdd posted 1 year ago.
There were some excellent threads about this topic last fall/winter so do a quick search for more detail. But basically I think both a trainer AND a set of rollers is the ideal way to go. A trainer will help with your base and rollers will help with your skills. Again do the search and you will find some great information on this subject!
4940
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1726 days
beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
I tried rollers but I had a tough time.
I need to develop my co-ordination.
I have a trainer and you can sit down and get into auto pilot.
Sometime in the future I will try the rollers again. :D
Nothing to it, but to do it
57
Member
531 days
CarlyBoy posted 1 year ago.
Used rollers for years. Does force you to be a balanced rider. Switched to a trainer when I got a tri bike. Found it impossible to keep my balance in the aero position, which I did want to be able to train in. Have never got back on the rollers. Something no one has mentioned so far (and I haven't tried it), but one-leg drills might be impossible to manage on rollers. One-leg drills are great for smoothing your technique. I'd say if you're going to get one, go for the trainer.
3354
Member
1412 days
RV posted 1 year ago.
Someone posted a vid of some guy doing one-legged drills on a roller - pretty impressive - but I'll never be that bold - or more so I don't want to crash my pretty bike!
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
59
Member
586 days
hollywood1 posted 1 year ago.
i have had a set of rollers since january and i have ridden them almost every day for around 15K as a supplement to my usual bike workouts. Once you get over the inital wobbles, not so much focus is needed. One leg drills are possible but you need an alredy very smooth pedalling technique. Aero position is possible too but for the first few attempts, i needed someone to hold me while i got into position.
dont get bitter, get better
287
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1442 days
Great Greyhound posted 1 year ago.
Started on a trainer, went to rollers, and I now supplement my winter riding on the trainer with a fork stabilizer (used once a week). The fork stabilizer lets me hammer on the pedals like a trainer without the worry of falling off the rollers, and do the one leg drills, etc.
This isn't to say that I don't use the rollers without the fork stabilizer, I do most of the indoor riding on the rollers, it will really force you to work on being smooth and keeping the upper body motionless. And yes, the Aero position is difficult to get into and out of, but the results are worth the risk!
Darrell "Legs 'n Lungs" Lenkner
in West Chester, Oh.
Check here for Images of us.
I'm new to the cycling part of tri's but love it. I go to school up north and know there will be plenty of days in Jan and Feb that riding outside will not be an option (more due to the precipitation than anything). Being a student I really don't have the bones to throw down for a nice trainer, is a $100 roller much of a downgrade? I haven't yet been able to test out either trainer or roller.
Thanks