A bike trainer and bike rollers are valuable tools for indoor cycling. Both allow you to ride indoors during bad weather and to set the length and pace of your workout based on your energy level and time frame rather than having to complete a round trip no matter how you feel after riding 10 miles. Each is better for certain situations.
Identification
A trainer holds the rear wheel of your bike off the ground so that you can ride in place in your living room or basement or wherever you want. A roller clamps against the wheel for traction. You can also adjust the resistance level. In contrast, you place your entire bike on a set of rollers, which allows both the front and rear wheels to rotate on a set of turning drums.
Benefits
Trainers are stable, allowing you to focus on things besides balance while you ride, such as a TV show or magazine. You don't need to be able to use your arms at all, in fact, so balance or arm injuries are not an issue. Trainers provide an experience similar to stationary bikes used in gyms and for physical therapy and rehabilitation. Rollers, which do not hold your wheels in place, provide a more realistic bicycling experience, including balance and steering. They also help you improve your pedal stroke, because it's very difficult to stay balanced on the rollers without applying power through the entire rotation.
Problems
Levi Bloom, cross-country mountain bike racer and founder of the Bloom Bike Shop bike repair and advice website, recommends using a cheap tire on your rear wheel when you use a trainer, as the rear tire can wear out very quickly under the pressure of the traction roller. This is unnecessary on rollers. On the other hand, riding on rollers can be difficult for beginners and they don't usually have resistance units. You can purchase a resistance unit if you want, or just upshift your gears.
Solutions
If balance is an issue, but you prefer rollers, you can get a fork mount for the front wheel. Alternatively, Mike Martin, a motocross racer who took up bicycling to improve his health and motocross performance, recommends positioning rollers in a doorway so that you can stick out your elbows while riding to keep your position.
Expert Insight
Riding a bicycle indoors, whether on trainers or rollers, presents a different environment. Without a breeze or air rushing by you on the downhills, you might not have sufficient ventilation. Mike Martin recommends opening a window and directing a fan toward you while you ride. This keeps you comfortable and well oxygenated. Because you can't stand up to pedal on rollers, take short breaks about every 20 minutes. On a trainer, just change your pedaling position periodically to use different muscles, and you can pedal for much longer.
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