bluefoxicy

These seem to be top-of-the-line for rollers. I see they also sell trainers, which are a bigger pain to use (rig the bike to it). They're both cheap ($250-ish for Galaxia rollers, $150-ish for trainers, $350-ish range for e.g. Tacx Flow with all kinds of monitoring). Higher-end trainers seem to allow for multiplayer racing through VR environments, if you somehow have any friends who also have the same trainer (or want to throw $1000 at something like that).

It looks to my untrained eye as if rollers work more on balance and form, casually burning calories; while trainers work on technical strength and stamina markers, allowing for customized fitness routines and interval training.

I stopped cycling largely because I bought a road bike and found I am wobbly on it, which was ... discomforting. Negative reinforcement is a powerful thing. The road bike is incredibly light--it hardly exists, like running through air--and I could probably maintain 20mph or more for 15 miles easily on it; but it doesn't feel like it's fully under my control. This leaves me needing two things:

• Comfort with the bicycle itself, notably balance and braking
• Some way to keep myself on the bike when it's winter outside

I'm assuming rollers would be more casual-use, and aid with balance more than trainers. On the other hand, having a firm understanding of how human training works (both mental and physical training work the same way), the amount of feedback and possible training plans provided by trainers brings greater efficiency in terms of physical fitness. Humans do not simply get stronger and smarter by the act of doing; it is doing things in a controlled manner, with technical goals and the consideration of continuous feedback, which allows humans to progress. A casual cyclist trying to lap the neighborhood really fast will not progress anywhere near as quickly as an identical cyclist reading measurements of his time and speed, targeting those activities he's slow at (climbing, cornering, etc.) and eliminating habits which cause him to over-exert for little gain (e.g. poor cadence control).

Decisions. There doesn't seem to be a single utility that allows for both high-efficiency fitness training and bicycle control and balance training. I wonder which is more efficient to target.

Wesley36

Tl;Dr, but there are rollers with resistance

bluefoxicy

They won't throw you? o.o Doesn't it have to be less resistance than the resistance provided by forward-movement of the bicycle?

Wesley36

No

DunderXIII

If you want to learn to balance you'll be satisfied with rollers It's not that bad though, you can probably pick it up pretty quick. The key concept here is 'how quick is quick'? If you think of standing on rollers on the 1st session, forget it, you'll fall. Second session? (like, the day after or later; not right-away-after) maybe you'll balance for a few minutes. After that? you should be able to stay on them.

The point is to not get discouraged; you will fall. It's fine; get up and try again.

I think you're over thinking it; are you into racing? That said I'm myself trying to setup something with a trainer app and the Garmin ANT+ cadence/speed sensor that came with my Edge 310.. I just need a ANT+ dongle for iPad or PC... anyway another story But this should give me 'virtual rides' on with rollers. Haven't tried yet though.

Carbonfiberboy 

I wondered where you'd gone. You were quite prolific. Get rollers with resistance. They're all you'll ever need and will last you a lifetime. I've been using a set of Bike Nashbar fluid resistance rollers for 15 years. Unfortunately, the fluid unit leaks and I have to keep replacing the fluid. Meanwhile the resistance varies according to the fluid level and temperature. So I'm thinking of upgrading to these: https://www.sportcrafters.com/produc...ve-pro-rollers
There are also these:
CycleOps Aluminum Rollers
these:
Elite Arion Mag Parabolic Resistance Rollers | Chain Reaction Cycles
or go high-end with these:
Inside Ride

bluefoxicy

I failed a security clearance and lost the job I was biking to, so took up climbing. Then I got a new job twice as far away, so got a new bike; but I never biked in. Then I bought a house.

I've since spent more of my time rewriting wetware than anything else. I've upgraded my visual system substantially, and used that to upgrade my memory substantially. I haven't gotten around to building a proper PAO system; but I can now work comfortably with images in my head and, in low delta-theta states, can occasionally activate all senses in an internal locus (the first time I did this, I went back to a dream I was having earlier, and ate a piece of cake that was there; it was delicious and satisfying, and involved the odd sensation of physically being in two different places at the same time). I don't store everything in my mind palace for that purpose; I'm aware of how memory works, and will intentionally entangle related concepts so as to greatly improve learning and retention. Strongly semantic information gets stored in my mind palace as an indexing system--notably temporary information and grouped facts-and-figures, such as performance numbers and goals and assessments.

The machine would work better on the whole were I in good shape.

The primary advantage of trainers is interval training: they can adjust resistance up and down while riding, rather than getting off and making adjustments; as such, they can simulate climbing hills. This plus measurements and feedback gives the ability to rapidly improve by targeting effort at those things which require more training, although that does require some understanding of physiology and how exercise works (i.e. technical goals).

Carbonfiberboy 

Uh, to change resistance you just shift gears . . . Some roller sets have variable resistance, but it's unnecessary.

bluefoxicy

#t=37

Igualmente

I recently bought a pair of the Overdrive Pro rollers. I was a total newbie to rollers and am not a particularly strong cyclist. I wanted something with resistance and which demanded some effort from me other than just chugging along. I'm still not perfect from a balance point of view, but no longer have anything nearby to grab if I run off by accident (then again, I don't use clipless and I keep a solid platform on either side so that I can simply step down to a "ground level" that is the same as the rollers... but mostly don't need to). As for resistance, there is plenty for me and in the 20mph range my sense is that there is probably more resistance on the rollers than on the road. As cfboy indicated, intervals are easily done just by changing gears to give you the kind of cadence vs. power output you seek. Also, the rear drum can be turned around to remove the progressive resistance, but I haven't tried that. About the only thing these don't do for me is give significant resistance to acceleration, like on the road, but whatever, I'm in it for fitness.

Carbonfiberboy 

Thanks for the review. You'd recommend?

Igualmente

I've never used other rollers and that is what prevents me from "recommending" (I have nothing to compare them to). That said, I am satisfied with mine.