Training & Nutrition - Is there anything wrong with Roller Trainers?

I cam across and older Cycle Ops Roller Trainer on craigslist for what seems to be an ok price of $70, and would like to know if there is anything wrong with roller trainer that I might not know.

It Cycle Ops so I know its a good brand but looks to be there older 3 part hold, now they only fold in half. It looks like it has PVC drums, I have heard they will get warped in sunlight sometimes, should I worry about that? Doe the belts go bad on them much? Are they pretty loud, or is it just the tired noise? How does resistance really work, I cant seem to understand that?

I also ride a 26in wheel LHT that I am riding right now. Will it even work with it? I know the front fork support it comes with would be to high be a little bit.

I have been wanting a trainer for sometime, just to have fun on when I'm not doing anything at home. and a roller trainer seems like it would be more versatile, Because I have 26in wheels and my girlfriends bike is actually a internal geared hub 3 speed and can mount a standard frame trainer(i don't even know if she would even like it.

Anything would really help, with in the next couple hours I am going to check the trainer out later tonight. I attached a photo of the trainer.

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Co is a good make, but depends on condition and roller trainers are tricky - I've never tried them, but I've watched very experienced riders on them - they are VERY careful. It's a skill and the people who do it well make it look too easy. Recommendation I've read is start in a doorway (you have something to grab). You'd have to check if your LHT and your GF's bike would fit.

Me - I'd pass on the rollers and look for a fluid or mag trainer instead. This one http://eugene.craigslist.org/bik/2863967186.html looks decent, and as long as the bike is locked into the trainer securly, you don't have to worry about crashing even if you collapse after a super-hard-I-am-going-to-die effort.

offer 40 bucks :). I have the AL co rollers and love them. I think starting with rollers, getting good then getting a kurt kentic is the best way.

Oh good grief. Rollers never wear out, even poly drums. The belt should be good for decades. You don't need the fork support. The front roller can be moved to accommodate frames of different lengths, from large road bikes to small MTB bikes. Rollers are fun. They're quiet, but compared to what? You need smooth tires for rollers or a trainer. On this roller set, there is no resistance, just the rolling resistance of your tires, so just use a big gear.

It is hard to do really hard workouts on the rollers. I can work up to treshold level, but after that I need to pedal at a cadence over 130 rpm :-) But, if you ride in a cold place, the air density will be higher thus offering higher resistance.

Anything you could possibly, ever, in the history of the universe, want to know about rollers:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/690352-Before-you-start-another-Rollers-thread-read-this

Let a little air out of your tires for more resistance. You're not going to get a pinch flat on rollers.