• This topic has 24 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by MSP.
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  • Turbo Trainer or Rollers
  • Nobby
    Full Member

    If you had to chose one, which would it be?

    LeeW
    Full Member

    Turbo, no rollers. Depends on what you want it for?

    Training, technique or an ornament?

    Nobby
    Full Member

    Just a bit if spinning on dull winters nights when I haven’t time to get out.

    LeeW
    Full Member

    Whatever is cheapest then. Rollers would be better for practicing spinning technique, Turbo would be better for fitness. IMO.

    mudsux
    Free Member

    Rollers requires learning to ride.
    Also better for building balance and core.
    Turbos easier to set-up. Easier stored. And can be very quiet indeed.

    I chose Turbo.

    Nobby
    Full Member

    So rollers are more challenging/slightly less boring then?

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    As has been said, depends what you’re doing on them. If your doing HIIT then I’d go with a turbo as you can just focus on your efforts. If you want to do endurance stuff or longer intervals then rollers can be good (although personally I’d still go with a turbo as you can zone out a bit). Rollers can be quite entertaining whilst you get used to them but are as dull as using a turbo once you’re proficient on them.

    carbon337
    Free Member

    I have both, rollers for a spinning session after and before races. A nasty winter night between training sessions ill use rollers. Intervals, sprinting, hill/resistance and HR zone traing on the turbo.

    SkillWill
    Free Member

    Good timing on this question, I was searching the forum yesterday for the same question…

    Doing the sufferfest vids sometimes it says something like:

    Cadence 110rpm
    Effort 4/10

    And I can’t do it! It takes so much effort on a turbo to get up to 110rpm, even in a low gear that I’m working at more than 4/10!

    Is this a feature of turbos really that they are much higher resistance? I really can’t spin at 100rpm for long on my turbo 🙁

    davetrave
    Free Member

    And I can’t do it! It takes so much effort on a turbo to get up to 110rpm, even in a low gear that I’m working at more than 4/10!

    Is this a feature of turbos really that they are much higher resistance? I really can’t spin at 100rpm for long on my turbo

    Something wrong with your set up there then… What turbo you using?

    I’m on turbo for fitness, rollers for technique but thinking of getting a new turbo as the current one’s very basic and 7 years old – looking at the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll, with a view to getting rid of the rollers as well given the requirement to balance the bike due to in-built instability on the Rock and Roll. Anybody any experience on one of these Kurt machines…?

    MSP
    Full Member

    I have a kurt road machine, quality bit of kit.

    The cadence in the sufferfest videos are only a guide, some people are more suited to spinning faster than others, I have big feet and don’t have skinny cyclists legs, there is a lot of waisted energy going into spinning fast for me. I do fast spinning segments to train my legs to be prepaired to spin fast, but its not a low heart rate segment.

    SkillWill
    Free Member

    The cadence in the sufferfest videos are only a guide, some people are more suited to spinning faster than others, I have big feet and don’t have skinny cyclists legs, there is a lot of waisted energy going into spinning fast for me. I do fast spinning segments to train my legs to be prepaired to spin fast, but its not a low heart rate segment.

    I think that’s the key, I find it hard to sit and spin at 110rpm unless it’s an all out, high effort segment.

    mavisto
    Free Member

    Rollers every time.

    Turbo is as boring as watching someone else watching paint dry.

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    Rollers aren’t exciting either though, they’re about the same as watching someone watching paint dry but that person has a taser and if he sees you lose concentration you get zapped.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Check You-Tube for rollers videos, it’s funny but enough to put me off…..

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Like this
    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN1cuVRRRzM[/video]

    fontmoss
    Free Member

    turbo here, using it for fitness and doing something like revolver video from sufferfest means collapsing on rest minute and trying to recover for next interval. Not sure I’d be able to stay upright on rollers doing that.

    readikus
    Full Member

    Turbo trainer + Sufferfest videos will make you a strong boy 🙂

    MSP
    Full Member

    I have a turbo, but fancy getting myself some rollers this winter. I do tend to stomp on my pedals and I have got it into my head that sorting out my pedaling action would lead to a good overall improvement.
    I have also got it into my head that being a burly big footed beast, I will never be able to master them, and will just spend 200 quid learning to crash to the floor.

    eyerideit
    Free Member

    I’ve got rollers and I’ll be dusting them off for winter and probably a good while longer we’re expecting our first child in March.

    But I’m also toying with the idea of getting a turbo for intervals as my rollers don’t have any resistance.

    Rollers + sufferfest = death/broken furniture/injury

    Nobby
    Full Member

    I’m still lost….

    spacemonkey
    Full Member

    Tacx Flow 2200 here. But that’s only because I can hook it up to TTS and 1) manage all my data; cadence, HR, watts, etc, 2) follow race route vids, and 3) create my own routes (using any piece of Google Maps/Earth).

    Without TTS I’d be bored as f&*k. Same with rollers.

    theboatman
    Free Member

    I’m lucky/ unlucky that I ride to work everyday, so get at least 26 miles in, and will always try and extend the run home even if it’s just by a half hour.  I went with a set of rollers with a resistance unit when my daughter was born, and use these when I’m in alone (daughter in bed) and MrsB is out, so have used them in all seasons for the last 2 years.  I can generally tolerate just over an hour with some music on.  I’ve tried turbo’s but just cannot get motivated to really lay it down with them, so I’m quite happy to spin with the rollers as it’s only a spot of bonus exercise.  One of the lads I ride with, will pack away his bikes for the winter at the end of October, and just move to the turbo doing sessions of up to 3-4 hours; I would rather drink tramps urine.  But he holds his fitness well over the winter.  As always, it’s horses for courses, i’m not really sure anyone can answer it for you.

    stratobiker
    Free Member

    Just a bit if spinning on dull winters nights when I haven’t time to get out.

    ….

    Rollers then.

    Based on what you say above they’ll do more for you. They’re more fun. They can be just as hard if you use them right IMHO.

    SB

    MSP
    Full Member

    Trouble with turbos is I just have to do some form of sets on them (sufferfest and trainerroad usually), I just can’t sit and spin on them, even set up in my living room with a film on the TV I just get tired of it quickly.

    I think if you want to do hard sessions of not much more than an hour, then a turbo is best.

    But if you want to work on technique and keep heart rate down then rollers seem best (although I have never actually used them).

    This year I really would like to do a few months of base fitness work, but I am just not sure if I will be able to do rollers.

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