Roller's or Trainer

[blackcountrytone]

hi
I have been cycling now only for about 12 weeks,as I needed to loose weight (20stone) and to get some fitness back as I was turning into a couch potatoe,although I ain't weighed myself yet I do know I have lost weight and gained some fitness.As the winter is drawing closer,there will be days where I can't get out,and as I would like to maintain my weight loss and fitness I was thinking about getting some kind of trainer for those bad days.
So my question would be shall I invest in a Trainer or Rollers I think I fancy the latter to be honest but would welcome some opinions and guidance from you learned people.
To help if it would make any difference ,my bike I ride at the moment is just a ,Carrera Subway One Hybrid but am thinking of buying a Cyclo Cross in the possibly near future so would need a trainer ore rollers that would accommodate these two for the the oncoming winter months in the future.
Thank you
Tony

 

[Bollo]

Hi Tony!

For both rollers and a turbo, you'll need to check any maximum weight restrictions. Given your weight and relative inexperience, I go for the turbo first. The feel and ridability of rollers is very dependent on tyre pressure, and at lower pressures the tyre tends to pinch up where it makes contact with the rollers. At 20st, you might find this is a problem even with the tyres at max pressure. Rollers are fun and provide a different exercise experience, but there is a learning curve.

Most turbos and rollers can accommodate standard 26" (mtb) or 700mm (road) wheels, although I think the choice gets a bit more limited for turbos and 29ers. More important in both cases is to have a non-nobbly tyre. You can use nobblies, but the noise, tyre wear and possibly vibration will be horrible.

Finally, for motivation, check out some of the training software and videos available to keep you motivated - TrainerRoad, Bkool and Zwift are the bigger app names and all have users on here for advice. Most people agree that Sufferfest do the best videos.

 

[BSRU]

I bought a turbo this time last year and it's the best purchase(not including my bikes) I have made.
No need to ride in the cold wet and dark, no concerns about ice or snow.
Bought a cheap 10 inch tablet computer to enable me to watch TV/Netflix/Amazon Prime in the garage while using it(helps on the long steady rides).
Made me a faster and fitter cyclist for when spring arrived.