slone130

In need of some guidance. I have a trainer which I have been faithful to for about two years now. I'm thinking of cheating on it with a set of rollers but I'm not sure what if any benifit I will get out of it. I've read some articles plus all the company propaganda but I thought I would put this out and see if any of yous had any insight in to roller training and the benifits, if any that go along with it. Thanks

Chucklehead

here is what i've learned from them:
-better form
-cleaner spin
-balance, balance, balance

falling off of them when you lose your concentration is kinda funny, too.

Cat6

Just got some myself. My wife (newer to cycling than I) always complains about all the things I buy. UNTIL NOW!!! I made her try them and to her amazement she was having fun. I usually try to keep her off of my bike stuff since she figures that since she didn't pay for it she can help me tear them up. Hopefully this will not be the case this time.

Cat6

Chef23

I picked up a set this year and they are fun to ride. You need to pay attention to stay on them and I can see where they help your spin. I do believe they also highlight any fit issues you have on your bike because it is difficult to change your position.

canisestinvia

I duno. I like the resistance my fluid trainer could provide. The rollers were fun for a couple weeks though...

lotek 

I have both cyclops fluid2 and Rollers. The cyclops gathers dust (unless my
wife uses it) and I stay on the rollers.
1) easier to mount up bike, don't have to worry about different skewers etc.
I can just as easily ride outside or inside.
2) smooth spin, can't acheive that with trainer
3) I hold a tight line when in a group, with rollers you have to stay
centered, translates really well to the road
4) Balance/handling I can now initiate any minor movement with hips
only. Part of that comes from working towards riding rollers no hands.

They really aren't for hard aerobic training, and without something like
killer headwind (or similiar) they don't have alot of resistance. However
I can still get a good workout in on a roller session.

Marty

BloomBikeShop

My Performance Technique rollers have more resistance than my mag trainer.

DXchulo

In the whole trainer vs. rollers debate, like so many other debates, the answer to what's better is: a little of both.

Rollers offer benefits that trainers don't as others have mentioned. For me, the fun factor is a big thing. You have to concentrate to stay upright, and that keeps it more interesting and time passes a little faster. Nothing is like real riding, but rollers feel more like real riding than a trainer is. You will learn lots of balance, and they do let you know about any fit issues you may have.

On the other hand, the trainer is better for resistance. That's really the only benefit I can think of, but that's a huge one.

So what I do is I do the long base miles on rollers and short, intense stuff on the trainer. That mixes it up and keeps things about as interesting as trainers/rollers get. Both get boring after a while, so it's good to be able to switch it up sometimes to keep things relatively fresh.

Chucklehead

there are few excuses for owning a trainer in southern-most southern california, but i do like getting on the rollers and watching a movie or football when it's chilly. true, though -- they really aren't much of a workout. although, you can get a mag unit for some which i haven't bothered trying yet..

rwg

Do a search. There is a lot of great information available from previous posts that is not making it in this one so far. I am a tried and true roller user b/c they help with form and can do almost everything that a trainer can do if you have a resistance unit.

However, somone posted a great article (I think by Chris Carmichael, but I am not positive) that talked about one leg drills and the ability to do a few other things with the trainer that you couldn't do with rollers. On the other hand, if it was Crist Carmichael, Cyclops is a sponsor (which may or may not have had anything to do with his recommendation).

With all the rain we are getting in San Diego lately, I am happy to have the rollers. I just wish I didn't have to use them.

FXjohn

Yes, you can do one legged drills on rollers

rwg

Well, let's be realistic about someone's abilities who is thinking about getting a set. That person most likely will not be able to do one legged drills on rollers for quite some time. That person might also be like me - without the slightest interest in doing such things on rollers. It's clear that a trainer mounted bike is more stable than one on rollers

Which reminds me - most rollers have a fork mount option so you can fix the bike in place. Oh yeah, if you want to use a trainer and keep track of effort through speed or distance, you have to have a rear wheel pickup computer.

FXjohn

If you're not interested in doing one-legged drills on rollers, why did you mention it? LOL
You can stay clipped in and let the other leg come along for the ride, as they do in spinning classes

Markedoc

6. Ask Coach Fred Matheny

Rollers or Stationary Trainer?

Question: Now that it's getting dark so early, I'm
thinking a lot more about riding inside. Would a set of
rollers be better than a stationary trainer? I've heard
there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
-- Tim R.

Coach Fred Replies: The "rollers vs. trainers"
question is a real quandary. But if I could buy just
one indoor training device, I'd definitely get a good
fluid trainer.

A model that clamps the bike by the rear dropouts and
leaves the front wheel on is much less likely to stress
the frame than a model that clamps the front fork and
bottom bracket. That's the original design, which
thankfully is rarely seen today.

The advantage of a trainer is the great pedaling
resistance it can produce. With good ones you can dial
up 700+ watts. And because you don't have to think
about balance, you can crank yourself blind without
losing control, if that's what your training program
calls for.

Of course, with the trainer you lose the biggest
advantage of rollers -- developing a smooth, even pedal
stroke. (Rollers are in effect a treadmill for your
bike. You ride on three spinning cylinders with nothing
holding you up but your balance.)

On a trainer, though, you can do one-leg pedaling
drills that may be even more effective for developing
a smooth stroke than riding on rollers.

Also keep this in mind: Current studies show that great
riders produce most of their pedaling power on the
downstroke. They stomp hard, and smoothness has little
to do with it. But being smooth does help increase
endurance at a moderate power level.

As for balance and bike handling, I think they're
better developed with drills done outside on a grassy
field, by riding singletrack or with cyclocross.

The ideal for an inside cycling program would be to
have both a trainer and rollers. But if you can buy
just one, I recommend a trainer.

FXjohn

That's fine and dandy, but Coach FRED seems oblivious to the existence of resistance units for rollers

Markedoc

feedback@roadbikerider.com

Send him an email.

rwg

B/c we aren't talking about me. I know I prefer rollers. But somone that is considering them and also considering trainers should consider all of the information, not one side of the information. Imo.

I was obviously wrong about the coach. I also disagree with his choice. But there it is. One assumes that since he is a coach and has a website, that he knows more about training than I do.

robintosh

As most people has adviced, rollers are more for technique and trainers for more power stuff.

I would recommend you use a roller in the off-season time for smoothing your pedaling. I did this when I was doing some weights at winter, I even brought my roller to the gym, so I could heat up on my bike and pedal in the rest time. When you get to the time you're doing some intensity and wattage workouts, then you should change to a trainer.

There's a local (Chile) hardware store that made me a custom aluminium roller, all with sealed bearings, and a very solid construction. I understand they were built for a local cycling team, that was too tired of having they're rollers brake too easily when taken to stage races and such big events (they carry enough rollers for most riders when there are TTT, for warmup).

I'm sure you already got enough info from all the guys here. Greetings,

Robinson