Which one has the most comfortable and realistic ride. Which one is more quiet. We rode over 2500 miles this summer and want to keep up the fitness during winter. My wife wants to train and watch TV that is why noise is a concern.

Which one would of each type would you recommend.

Thanks

Rollers will feel the most natural but short of installing fans or something, there is almost no resistance. It's kind of like riding on flat or slightly declining smooth pavement. The benefit is that it forces you to spin very smoothly, hold your line perfectly, etc. Fluid Trainer will give you a lot more resistance if you're into pumping up but it will do almost nothing for your form.

That is, unless you get a KK rock and roll....

Rollers require more concentration, especially for first time users - not very conducive to watching movies. I personally have a trainer - works great, and relatively quiet. I can watch TV while the kids nap upstairs in the afternoon.

Rollers are more realistic than reality. They will greatly improve your form and handling skills. They aren't very noisy.

If you want to maintain fitness while watching TV go with a trainer. I tried rollers last year and while the learning curve wasn't THAT great (it was a little sketchy) I started thinking about all those times after work when I'm mentally beat and physically drained. All I really want to do is veg out and spin for a while. With the rollers, I had to concentrate on what I was doing. No thought required on the trainer though. YMMV.

False, I've heard of people putting a towel underneath one of the rollers or putting playing cards on the seatstays. Both of which would add more than enough resistance.

I believe that falls under the "or something" I specifically stated in my post.

Get the 2.5 rollers. Try 24 mph on them for 30 minutes. Then come back and post here. Those have enough resistance like a trainer

Trainers IMO are good for fitting sessions or adjusting the derailleurs under load. Otherwise it's a waste time. get rollers.

You can also get a ballpeen hammer and make indentations on the roller so it is not smooth. Don't blame me if you crack the drum.

my apologies, your post made it seem like putting a towel (or something) under the rollers was an immensely difficult task and was thus a reason not to buy rollers

I just wanted to highlight the point that rollers are for technique and trainers are for resistance, at least in their primary goals. Rollers are more versatile, as long as you're not wanting to watch TV while using them.

Any thoughts on Kurt's Rock and Roll trainer?

I like them, just keep in mind that it's huge and heavy.
Best to have a permenant place to put them instead of setting them up every time you need it.

The swaying aspect isn't that noticable and when you do purposely rock it, doesn't feel like the real thing.

I have the rock and roll. It is big and heavy, and is more like a permanent fixture in the basement as opposed to dragging it out when I need it. But its a very very stable platform.

The rocking isn't like the real thing, like they imply on the website videos. However, it does force you to ride smoothly, both from swaying and bouncing motions. I tried both the Road Machine and the Rock and Roll, and found the R&R much more comfortable to ride. The motion it provides also comes in handy when you do out-of-the-saddle sprinting/intervals. You can rock the bike a little without worrying about stressing out the frame.

I would recommend it to anyone considering a trainer.

I find the resistance heavier than actual road conditions. I can usually maintain 31-32 km/h on the road, whereas I'm in the 28-30 km/h range on the trainer. That's not necessarily a bad thing though.
I use it in conjunction with a couple of Spinervals DVD's....they're great, and will leave you wasted after the 60 mins. Other times, I just throw on a movie for 2 hours and spin.

Not sure if I'd be able to do that on the rollers.

This might be a silly question, but for using rollers, do you have a set of wheel with trainer tires or do you use your everyday tires?

Rollers have more resistance the smaller the diameter of the rollers. Want even more resistance? Just shift gears.

As far as tire wear goes I have never seen any tread left behind on my rollers, although I only weigh 160 and generally pump up my tires higher than normal (125-130 psi) when on the rollers.

I have a set of Kreitler Poly-Lytes with 3" drums, and an adjustable fan resistance unit. This set-up provides more resistance than I will ever need. However, it is impossible to do hard out-of-the-saddle sprints without rocking off the front of the drums. Plus, they are loud as hell when the fan unit is engaged.

Indeed. Probably the single biggest drawback to rollers.

I just recently have been looking into some sort of off-season training device, and I am pretty sure I would prefer rollers to a trainer. What do I need to look for in a nice set of rollers?

This is what I was thinking. Even if you don't consciously feel the rocking motion, it seems like it would be more comfortable for extended rides because of the subtle movements.

Man I'll try again this winter but I never got used to my rollers; I found them incredibly hard to stay up on. They aren't for everyone...just warning you.

I've had a set of rollers for about four years now and have only really used them with any degree of consistency one of those winters. With that being said, they did seem to do a pretty good job of getting me ready for spring and I felt like my pedal stroke was much smoother after logging around 1,000 miles on them.

As someone who's ridden both, there's really no comparison between rollers and a trainer in terms of realism, because you're actually riding with rollers. You can actually crash - and I'm speaking from experience - if you wander off the edge of the drums. With that being said, I'm planning on fastening a sturdy handle to the wall in my finished basement so that I can set them up near the wall and still have something to grab on to in the event I start heading for the deck. I used to ride them for an hour a day after work watching tv and they worked great.

rollers are the effing bomb. i just got some and it only took me a few attempts under the door frame to get it down. its only been like 4 rides and i can ride with no hands (not an e-motion, but a stationary roller) and i usually watch a movie while riding. it definitely builds balance. i just cannot ride with my eyes closed like i do sometimes outdoors on straight flats.

Why not set them up in a doorway? You can shoulder-bump as needed to stay upright.

I have no doorways which lend themselves to that in my current place, hence the need for a handle.

The old Nashbar rollers I use have a magnetic resistance unit. Works pretty well.