There’s no point denying that the days are drawing in, and successive lockdowns are screwing up our weekend riding plans. Yes, it’s that time of year when we have to face the inevitability of indoor cycling: hours of mind-numbing, backside-crippling, sweat fests. If you have deep pockets, or someone loves you enough, you might be tearing at the bit to jump onto a shiny, new Peloton or Wattbike - good for you. For the rest of us, we have the choice of turbo or rollers. This post explores some pros and cons of each and gives you the definitive answer to this age-old conundrum, or not.
Turbo
The turbo trainer, or turbo to those in the know, clamps your rear wheel and allows you to roll into mind-numbing bliss without a care in the world. Turbos have a starting price of around one hundred pounds, equally, they can set you back over a thousand pounds. Basic turbos simply require you to clamp your rear wheel in and start pedalling. High-end models may require you to purchase an additional cassette (the cogs on your rear wheel), but they will allow you to connect to systems like Zwift so you can enjoy racing online against your mates. Whatever level of turbo you plump for, fitting a turbo-specific rear tyre will reduce noise and save wearing out your best rubber.
From a practical perspective, a turbo requires no skills on your part. The turbo secures the bike, and you simply sit on your stead and pedal to your heart’s content. In fact, your hands are free to do whatever you please whether it’s holding the bars, eating pizza, or checking on your Facebook wall. When you’re done, most turbos fold in two, so they don’t take up too much storage space.
A turbo reduces the potential for damage to you and your bike. The biggest risk to you is your brain disengaging to the point of a total lobotomy. Whereas, for your bike there are a few potential pitfalls:
Sweat dripping on your headset and handlebars can corrode them. Luckily, a strategically placed towel negates this problem.
Over-tightening the rear-wheel clamp can place stresses on your bike’s frame for which it’s not designed. You can avoid this issue by checking with your bike’s manufacturer to ensure that it is suitable for use with a turbo - most bikes are.
Most turbos come with a metal quick release skewer for your rear wheel. Use it because many bikes have quick releases that are capped with plastic or a light alloy; both of which are prone to destruction when clamped.
A turbo will destroy road tyres. You should fit a turbo-specific rear tyre, but you need not change the front because the front wheel doesn’t move.
In summary, a turbo is easy to use and high-end models provide you with the opportunity to hook up to Zwift.
Rollers
Rollers consist of three cylinders that support your bike as you pedal. In common with turbos, they start at around one hundred pounds but top out just over two hundred pounds. Unlike a turbo, you need not clamp your bike; you simply place your bikes on the rollers, gingerly mount it, and start pedalling before gravity takes over and you hit the deck. Of course, the simplicity of rollers also exposes their greatest weakness: rollers don’t stabilise your bike. In practical terms, this means riding on rollers is akin to riding on sheet ice, meaning a definite learning curve comes into play. The good news is that most people master riding on rollers with a couple of hours of practice and, at the end of the day, those who master them appear much cooler than their turbo-riding counterparts, and they also benefit from a more natural riding experience.
From a practical perspective, rollers still eat road tyres, so it’s a good idea to fit turbo tyres to both your front and rear wheels. When riding on rollers, you must concentrate; a momentary lapse, can result in your wheels parting company with the rollers and you collapsing into a sprawling heap on the floor. Equally, you will, for the most part, want to keep your hands on the bars. As you advance, you’ll be able to take your hands off the bars and enjoy a swig from your bottle, but that’s about it and even this trivial task will require several practice attempts to master. When you finish your training session, you can fold your rollers in two and discretely store them in a wardrobe or even under your bed.
The potential for damage to you and your bike is much greater with rollers than with a turbo. The biggest risk to you is falling off, resulting in both physical and emotional pain. Whereas, for your bike there are a few potential pitfalls:
Damage from you falling off. No need to say anything else on this humiliating topic.
Sweat dripping on your headset and handlebars can corrode them, but because your bike is moving a little from side to side, this is less of a problem than with a turbo.
Rollers will eventually destroy road tyres but not at the same rate as a turbo. You should fit turbo-specific tyres to your bike.
In summary, rollers are cheap, convenient, and offer you a much more natural riding experience. On the flip side, they require time to master, don’t tailor to hands-free activities, and, although possible, are difficult and costly to connect to apps such as Zwift.
Conclusion
Both turbos and rollers offer a way to escape the couch when you can’t, or prefer not to, ride outside. Rollers give a much more natural riding experience and are nowhere near as mind-numbing as a turbo. That said, a turbo requires no skill or balance to use, and it offers you the opportunity to go online and make your training sessions a social experience. For me, in a nutshell, choose rollers if you want to ride freely and look like a pro; choose a turbo to avoid a learning curve and, if you’re so inclined, to get social on your indoor training sessions.
PS: I’m a fan of rollers.
