A big differences between rollers and trainers is that 1. Trainers allow all riders to become stronger riders by elevating cardiovascular levels and power in the legs. 2. Rollers works on your balance and forces the rider to pedal smoothly (or else you are off the rollers).
Not that a rider can't become a smooth peddler by using a trainer -- it is something that a rider can always throw into the mix of various training programs. You can do single leg stoke exercise's also slow pedal strokes and gradually speeding up the cadence and focusing on smooth muscle rotation. Also by using rollers a rider can produce power but the rollers would have to have a resistance unit on the rollers. After using rollers for a while and becoming a smoother peddler this will help the rider become a safer rider (the rider will be able to ride a straight line and better balance). Both type of units work well. A trainer will work best for beginners. Spend what you are comfortable with. Quality products start around $150 (for example -- Cyclops Wind Trainer $135 w/club discount). Trainers for $100 work but will not give you years of hard use. Rollers cost more than trainers usually starting around $150 and up (for example Cyclops Roller PVC $165 w/club discount). -----Original Message----- From: Jeff Snavely <[email protected]> To: gyros <[email protected]> Sent: Sun, Nov 7, 2010 2:30 pm Subject: Re: [Gyros: 16817] Trainer Depends on what type of riding you want to do indoors. My personal experience tells me that rollers are much better for just "putting in your hours" than a trainer. The monotony isn't quite as bad. If you are doing targeting training, sprints... high load... etc, a trainer may be a little better. I switched from a Kurt Kinetic R&R last year to e-motion rollers and it was a huge improvement from a comfort standpoint. On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 10:14 AM, slow down <[email protected]> wrote: I'm thinking of getting a trainer for the bad winter months. I know nothing about them. What are the best types? Are there any features that I need? etc? Any info is appreciated. Reid -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected]
