Indoor Bicycling: The Wind Trainer or the Rollers?

Winter has arrived. The days are short, you want to exercise, but the thought of heading outdoors into the cold night to ride your bike does not appeal, not to mention that it might be dangerous, even with a light. What to do? Well, you can join a gym for $50 a month, drive to a gym, and then pay another sum of money to take spinning classes, or you could simply ride your own bike in the comfort of your own home.

There are many ways to ride your bike in your own home. The two most popular are wind trainers and rollers. If you are a serious bicyclist who wishes to improve your racing performance, the rollers might serve as your better choice. If you are a beginner who rides for mere fitness purposes, the wind trainer might be the better alternative.

The Rollers:

Rollers are excellent for developing a better "spin" and increased bike handling skills. You actually ride with both of the bike's wheels mounted and spinning against the rollers, this forces you to develop your balance as the bike is not supported by any stationary fixture. The workout with rollers can be more intense as your whole body must go into it as if you were on a bicycle, that is to say, you must concentrate on your upper body for balance as well as your lower body for force. Getting started with rollers can be tricky, but if you mount yourself between a doorway and some furniture, you will be able to balance yourself in case you start to sway one way or another. The cyclist who trains with the rollers will ride smoothly and perfectly straight once the springtime training rides arrive.

Rollers tend to be about the same price as other trainers. They come with plastic or aluminum drums (the actual rolling devices) with the aluminum tending to be of higher quality. Yet, rollers tend to have less resistance than other trainers. It is possible to alleviate this problem by adding an additional resistance unit or purchasing a roller with smaller drums for greater resistance.

The costs of rollers vary. Performance Bike carries its own brand of "Technique Pro Rollers" that range from $139.99 to $219.99. Another popular brand is CycleOPS Rollers that cost approximately $199.99. The quality, durability, and versatility of these rollers vary by price and brand.

The Wind Trainer or Turbo Trainer:

This type of trainer is more stable than the rollers. Usually, either the front or rear wheel is fixed to the wind trainer and a resistance device is used to provide tension. With this sort of trainer, it is easier to stand out of the saddle, do single leg drills, and even just watch TV. Yet, since balance isn't much of an issue here, it is easy to get lazy and lose your riding form. If you wish to keep your neck and back muscles in proper form for road riding, be sure to focus on keeping the proper form.

A wind trainer workout provides an excellent controlled environment for cycling drills and allows you to focus on your pedal technique, as you need not worry about balance or running into moving vehicles. The wind trainer is also especially useful since it allows you to adjust the resistance, whereas the rollers do not.

There are a few different types of wind or turbo trainers. Some are hydraulic and others are magnetic. Ask you local bike dealer for more information or check out Bike Nashbar or Performance bike for a full catalog of bicycling accessories. Minoura and Blackburn are popular manufacturers. On the lower price end is Minoura's Ergo-10 Mag Trainer, which tends to be quieter, has a stiffer frame, and a wide range of resistance. This model costs approximately $99.00. A newer and more expensive model by Minoura goes for about $149.00 and is purported to be smaller, smoother, and absolutely silent. Blackburn's low end trainer goes for about $149.00 and has a 3-level magnetic resistance unit. Blackburn's $229.00 model has five levels of resistance and a flywheel that mimics the true feel of the road.

Have fun this winter!