I really, really need something to ride when the weather is bad...

Should I get rollers with a fork support and resistance, or a regular trainer?

Which one is quieter? Also, I imagine the trainer could be used as a work stand for various adjustments and maintenance.

Would rollers with a fork support and resistance be as good for training as a regular trainer? I don't imagine the bolt-on resistance units provide as much resistance as a regular trainer.

Do a search of your exact thread title. This subject has been covered immensely recently.

I did. My question isn't exactly the same.

^This topic has been covered so many times, that I doubt a new - "unique" issue could arise.

How would you know?

Pretty much every thread goes like this:

"Which one?

Get rollers, better for balance and pedaling.

OK."


I'm not asking about that. I'm asking whether or not rollers with a fork mount and resistance unit would be a better choice than a fluid trainer, and which choice would be quieter.

rollers

I appreciate the effort but a complete sentence would have been nice.

Generally a trainer will be less expensive than rollers with resistance and a fork mount. The real point of rollers is to help with your bike handling and pedal stroke, simply put. Rollers with a fork mount does basically what trainer does.
The nice trainers are very quiet. I have a Cycleops Supermagneto Pro, and a Fluid Pro, both very smooth and quiet.

Thanks.

I'm looking at Minoura gear since they're the easiest to get here in Japan, but surprisingly a fully-decked out (fork mount, resistance, and other accessories) mid-range roller of theirs costs significantly less than their top-of-the-line trainer (which is supposedly the quietest in the world).

I may or may not have a neighbor downstairs... but I'm hoping a rubber mat would make it quiet enough where I could hear the TV without making my neighbors go Pearl Harbor on me.

You are most likely going to hear a trainer or rollers through a floor. I suppose some rubber mats may dampen the sound some. There is no way I would ever consider rollers with a fork mount. I ride rollers 99% of the time, but at least with a trainer you can fold it up and store it and also take it to races if you race, plus they are a lot easier to sell if you decide it is not for you.

This. But with NO FORK SUPPORT!!

/end thread

A fork support defeats the purpose of getting rollers.

If you live where you get enough snow to be stuck inside for 3+ months a year, roller are the only way to go.

I have both, but prefer rollers, simply because you have to pay attention, making them less boring than a trainer. As others have stated, rollers also help you with balance and pedaling technique. Another benefit for me of rollers is that my computer sensor is on my front wheel, so I can use my computer on rollers, but not on a trainer.

Fenders and a jacket. Studded tires if necessary.

I wouldn't use it all the time. Just for when I want to concentrate on resistance and distance instead of form and balance.

Also, it seems like there's no one living in the apartment under me... yay.

Hate rollers. Don't pay attention or lose your balance for a second...enjoy your fall. No point in that personally IMO.

I don't want to ride a balance beam apparatus in my house where I can't kind of wander my attention of the balancing on the rollers or watch a movie/tv show and worry about crash and burn. You get enough of that possibility on the road.

^^^ no offense but you're new and maybe haven't seen all the threads on rollers.

These rollers have come up in a lot of the discussions and are different.
You can ride and not pay attention.
And for someone like me with a severe adversion to paying attention these have been a life saver.

Edit: and they have a nice resistance unit that goes from 0 (no resistance) to 3 (which scares me).

Problem is they're $$$$$$. Also, it would cost a bunch to send them to Japan.


Being "new" doesn't have anything to do with whether or not I've read through most of the threads I could find on rollers versus trainers.

Well you never mentioned Japan
Yeah, that would present a problem.
Knowing this I'd probably follow RoadWarrior's advice.
Or try the Kurt Kenetics.

Sportcrafter 3.5" rollers. I can get up to about 375 watts on mine. Plenty of resistance.

Rollers vs. Trainer is sorta like a "Which saddle fits my butt?" question. Everyone here has their opinion, but it really comes down to personal preference. I went from a trainer to rollers to a trainer to back to nothing and finally back to a trainer. Trainer time is boring! I figured rollers would keep me actively engaged. Then I realized that when I come home from work after dark and am exhausted , the last thing I want is to have to pay attention to avoid falling over. I just wanted to spin. Then I realized that dark isn't that dark anyway and got rid of the trainer. I finally broke down and bought another one this year because I realized how hard I've worked to get into shape and that dark really is dark in the winter and it's much easier to spin away in the house, regardless of how boring it is. Yeah, there have been a lot of realizations in the last year. The only constant has been that trainer time is boring as hell and I'd rather be on the road.

trainers do make a decent work stand.