Have rollers, what do I need for virtual training?
 

I have several bikes, a set of rollers, a PC & monitor, a Polar heart monitor watch & chest strap. What additional equipment do I need to use Rouvy? I want to use my rollers. I don't want to buy a smart trainer.

Do I only need a speed/cadence sensor that transmits to a USB receiver that I can plug into my PC?

Seems like at minimum, you will need a power meter or a supported classic trainer that Rouvy has a virtual power profile for. A speed sensor by itself will not work. It will with Zwift though.

https://rouvy.com/en/getting-started

You want to get ANT+ sensors and an ANT+ USB dongle at a minimum. The thing you really need to look for though is whether your rollers are supported in virtual mode in any given app. Virtual mode uses a known power curve of your trainer or rollers, takes the speed of your wheel using a speed sensor, and matches them up to give you power. It requires knowing that your wheel at 20mph will spin the resistance unit and that equals 200 watts or power, and 20.5 mph is 210 watts, but 21mph may be 250 watts. It isn't linear, that's what gives them "road feel." Every resistance unit is different, even two copies of the same unit, but at least they try. You use your gears to adjust speed and hence adjust power.

Cadence and HR complete the picture. Some programs use HR as a proxy for average power/calories, but you can't use it for instantaneous power.

Power meters are expensive. Smart trainers are also expensive. If you can only buy one, you mostly have to consider where you'll be using it. If indoor training is all you want it for, get a smart trainer and you'll get the real benefits of the programs that control it. If you want it for outdoors, get the power meter. You can then get accurate power readings both indoor and outdoor, but it won't control the trainer. At least you can still follow the screen and set your gears to produce the desired power.

Do your rollers have a resistance unit that is listed? That is the main question.

I'm currently using a Cycleops Fluid 2 dumb trainer. I use Wahoo speed and cadence, wireless and magnetless, sensors and a Garmin HR strap, all of which are ANT+. I bought a cheap USB ANT+ dongle. Using Zwift or the Sufferfest I get "virtual" power based on the known power profile of the Fluid 2 trainer, one of the more popular ones, and the speed read by the sensor. It all just worked without much setup involved, except it works best to be on the bike and moving so all the devices are active. While both Zwift and Sufferfest give me a power number, I'll have to say that the perceived effort from each is different. 200w on Zwift is harder than 200w on Sufferfest, and this is why I want an accurate power meter. I also want a smart trainer but I'm not buying both. My wife rolls her eyes when I say I want a smart trainer because my Fluid 2 works just fine.

And one last thing. In order to level set yourself in whatever program you use, take the FTP test. At least you'll have an FTP to train against whether it is absolutely accurate or not. You'll be training against the relative FTP as your program sees it. Don't worry if it seems low vs. what other people are. That's the whole point, this is what you can do now, and to get better, train harder. My FTP has increased 20 watts on Sufferfest and 30 watts on Zwift.

Starting w the low $ route.
Revived an old, thought to be dead, 64 bit PC (has WIFI to connect w my router).
Ordered
a 5 lev mag resistance trainer new, Ebay $40 (Bike Lane Pro Trainer in USA, includes shipping),
a speed/cadence ANT sensor,
an ANT dongle,
a vga to component cable (to connect PC to TV in my exercise room).
Now I wait for stuff to arrive.
Next to get a lazy susan bearing so I can swivel the old CRT TV from facing rollers to trainer to my wife's stationary exercise bike.

Will 200mbps be fast enough for the internet connection?

Got the trainer set up. Works fine. Found that if the mag resistance in increased via the remote switch mounted on the handlebars and there is no increase in pedaling resistance, the tire is slipping on the roller. Increasing the roller pressure solves this problem.

While waiting for stuff to arrive, I have an old 6 season set of Hercules DVD's. With the TV & DVD player in the exercise room, I can do one episode per session.