Training & Nutrition - Quiet Trainer/Rollers

I'm new to cycling but got a new road bike recently that I love to ride. I'm also using it to lose a little weight and stay in shape -- especially important in the coming rainy and cold months. Naturally, I've started looking at what is available for trainers and rollers.

I've done a fair bit of research on this forum, roadbikereview, etc. and have narrowed down my options to some rather expensive pieces of equipment:

Trainers - Kurt Kinetic (fluid - I think my favorite) or 1upUSA (friction)
Rollers - definitely metal with Kreitler being the best

However, I think my criteria are perhaps a bit different from most people. I'm guessing that I'm far from ever requiring a ton of resistance, but the most important thing to me is that things are quiet and easy to maintain. I'm on the second floor of an apartment with wood floors where noise travels fairly well and I like to do my workouts in the morning.

Rollers are mildly intimidating, but there are enough success stories around to make me comfortable with buying them. The trainer might be nice in that I wouldn't necessarily be concentrating on the exercise all of the time. I don't ever intend to race so maintaining a straight line isn't super critical to me, but having good balance always sounds like a good thing.

Ack! It's so confusing... Comments are much appreciated - thanks!

Rollers aren't much noisier than a trainer I don't think.

You might want to put them on some kind of isolator.
Take like a gym mat and sandwich it between some plywood sheets.

Thanks -- I've definitely been leaning towards rollers but was worried by the noise. I might also get one of those fork stands for when I just need a concentration break.

I have a Kurt Kinetic on a yoga mat, on top of wood floors in an 1860s farmhouse. No noticeable vibration or excess noise - that Kinetic is QUIET - although I haven't had my husband go down in the basement and see whether there's excess vibration.

I saw a noise absorbing mat for sale in a catalog. Probably Performance or Nashbar.

Quality rollers on the mat should be pretty quiet. My rollers are noisy because there is something loose in one of the metal rollers (sounds like a bolt rolling and banging on the inside of the drum). Drum is a misleading term here, it sounds louder than a drum! I use a knobby tire on the back to make it louder, I don't like the people downstairs.

My rollers are probably 10 - 15 years old and are very quiet (Minoura).
A good mat to get is the ones they sell for treadmills, they are thick enough
to absorb vibration/sound and stiff enough as to not impede the rollers.
I also have Cyclops fluid2, yes its quiet, but nowhere near as quiet as the
rollers.

Marty

I saw a noise absorbing mat for sale in a catalog. Probably Performance or Nashbar.


It was Performance, I saw it this morning.

in addition to sound traveling through the baseboards, you also have to worry about sound traveling through the walls. i live in a typical nyc apartment and the noise from my blackburn mag trainer travels into all the rooms of our place. its sounds just like someone is vacuuming. i feel bad for my roommates when i use it. i just make sure to apologize a lot.

in addition to sound traveling through the baseboards, you also have to worry about sound traveling through the walls. i live in a typical nyc apartment and the noise from my blackburn mag trainer travels into all the rooms of our place. its sounds just like someone is vacuuming. i feel bad for my roommates when i use it. i just make sure to apologize a lot.

I've been using an Aireon mag trainer from Supergo in my college dorm room. No one complains, it's great! As long as I have my door closed it doesn't bother anyone.

For being a mag trainer, it's quieter than I expected. There's a good whirring sound when I'm on my semislick mtb tire, but it's practically noiseless with a road bike. Not bad for $55!

I have cheap rollers and a fluid trainer, both from Performance. The rollers are *way* quieter than the trainer. Obviously, you may get different results from different equipment, but that's my set of (two) datapoints.

Good for you!! I am also doing it for my health.......diabetes, overweight, cardiomyopathy.......
Rollers are quite different from trainers..........the rollers' significant advantage is balance and pedalling skills while trainer's advantage tends to favor strength building and also getting off the saddle techniques. don't get me wrong, rollers can provide strength buildup.
with rollers, you can start out by positioning it within a door frame and having a stool on one side to get on it and off. Don't strap your shoes on the pedal or clipped your shoes (clipless pedals).....use a pair of sneakers at first. when you get comfortable with it, start using cycling shoes and either strap it or clip it on pedals (traditional toeclip and strap or clipless pedals).

with trainers, all you need to do is mount the back part of the bike to a trainer and off u go!! You might want to raise the front of bike to simulate normal biking position or climbing..............

Hope this help,

With rollers doesnt Kreitler make a headwind attachment for resistence?

If your trying to cut down on noise use a 100% slick tire.

With rollers doesnt Kreitler make a headwind attachment for resistence?

If your trying to cut down on noise use a 100% slick tire.

Yeah i have that attachment.
There's a flywheel attachment too, but i have yet to find someone who has that also.

www.kreitler.com