Looking for a Turbo Trainer. Don't know anything about them. I'm about to head into another long snowy winter and I'm determined not to pile back on the pounds that I've sweated off this summer (currently at my lowest bodyweight since I was about 18!).

Turbo or rollers, what kind of resistance, etc? Noise shouldn't be a big issue as we don't have any immediate neighbours. Planning on using it with a rigid mountain bike (already fitted with slicks) with a standard 27-speed drivetrain.

Don't mind paying a little bit above entry-level for worthwhile features, but otherwise keen to keep the cost down.

Please no lectures about just getting out on the bike – I live in a ski resort, the mountain bike trails are under 6ft of snow all winter and the roads are an icy, snowy, suicidal-French-driver-inhabited horror show! Will hopefully get some good ski-touring and snowboard-hiking done, but need another option when I'm tight for time.

I wouldn't bother with any resistance adjustments etc. – just use the gears on the bike

I have a Minoura Hypermag which does everything you need

I have a set of free rollers and find them much easier to train on than a standard turbo (I train on a computrainer at least twice a week but they are pretty expensive). When you're on your own without anything to look at the free rollers at least make you concentrate on actually riding. I can easily ride on them for 45 minutes/the length of an album without getting too bored.

I also use mine to practice taking bottles/drinking/putting on my jacket etc etc.

I found rollers demanded to much concentration from me, and didnt offer enough resistance for strength training.

Turbo's are really, really boring IMHO, but the results can be spectacular if you use them right.

I'd advice a simple magnetic resistance turbo, and some good music or a telly.

second The Badger but would add in a SUFFERFEST session instead of TV etc. Real results felt. You may have to wait a bit as i think teh vids are due back sometime soon.

Preview here

http://www.blip.tv/file/2797463

You will want to be able to alter the resistance, it will also be easier to vary the training routine on a standard ( ie non roller type) of trainer. You realyy should get this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Cycling-Successful-Training-Racing/dp/0684822431 as it will give you interesting and varied training techniques

Is it essential to have a turbo wheel and tyre? I expect you'd get flat spots on your tyre if you use a road tyre?
sorry for mini hi-jack!

I have a Tacx Flow trainer which is electromagnetically braked. You can vary the work rate in watts – although it's not hugely accurate in terms of real work rate. Don't think that would make too much difference for every day training though. I also have the virtual reality upgrade for this trainer (have spent a lot of time on it!), which is great. You can get some real life videos and pedal through Mallorca, Milan-San Remo etc. and have nice scenery to "ride through". It also increases and decreases resistance as you climb or descend making it a bit more interesting. Works fine with an mtb too. I prefer the Tacx to the Computrainer – not nearly as fiddly to use, although the Computrainer is more accurate (but also more expensive). I didn't get on with rollers at all – as someone else mentioned, I found too much concentration required, and my shoulders and arms would get pretty tense so that I would have to stop training for that reason rather than being tired. Maybe just a bit crap at the whole balance thing though.