Amateur
multisport athletes or cyclists often face the dilemma of picking either a bike
resistance trainer or rollers. I had the same headache doing research and
asking friends for their opinion before finally bought a magnetic resistance
trainer. Before I proceed to further details, let me explain the difference
between trainer and rollers.
Similarity:
Cyclists are
able to ride their own bike on rollers or trainer anytime and anywhere they
wish. Both trainer and rollers are not a piece of cycling gym equipment; you’ll
need a bike to do your workout with it.
Difference:
Rollers are
designed as simple as 3 rollers for you to ride your bike on top of it. It has
no vertical support to balance, so it gives almost exactly the same “road
feel”. However, newbies might take some time learning to balance themselves on
the slippery rollers. You cannot increase the resistance.
Resistance
Trainers securely hold the rear wheel of your bike and the tyre rests upon a
little metal cylinder that generates resistance. Resistance trainer needs no
balancing. Once the rear wheel is mounted, it is very stable and I could play
with my phone or even eat pizza while cycling.
Rollers
The set of 3 rollers
are attached to a frame by a long rubber band that keeps the front and rear rollers
turning at the same rate. They are very useful to improve balancing and
pedalling technique. If you find it hard to balance yourself while eating
energy bar in a group ride, this piece of tool will help to improve your bike
handling skills. As a piece of advice, test your rollers next to a wall or any
support that you can hold on. For balancing, I put a water bottle in front and
stay focus to it to help me balance.
Resistance
trainer generates resistance in 3 different ways. The least resistance is the
wind resistance; the magnetic resistance generates higher resistance while the
fluid resistance produce the highest resistance comparatively. All 3 trainers
allow resistance increment and is a very good equipment to build up strength.
Wind Resistance Trainer
Wind resistance
trainers are the simplest and the cheapest, checkout local bicycle 2nd hand website for new/used
wind resistance trainer at a super cheap price. Normally it sells at around RM
190 – RM 300. For entry level, it is good enough. The fan blades spin as the
cyclists cycle while generating resistance through the fan blades’ movement. On
the down side, I would say the resistance is a little too low, somehow I felt
“no resistance” after hitting 35km/h. Also, the noise could wake everyone in
the house!
Magnetic Resistance Trainer
Magnetic
resistance trainer generates eddy current through electromagnetic induction
which creates the resistance. I bought a Minoura magnetic trainer for RM 450,
it offers me 8 levels of resistance. After 4 years of using it, I’m only at
resistance 3 for my time trial training =p. The noise is very much lower
compared to the wind resistance trainer.
The silicon
within the enclosure generates fluid resistance inside the chamber as the
cyclist pedals. The major benefit of a fluid resistance trainer is the
gradually increase resistance as the rear wheel spins faster. Due to the
complexity of its design, the fluid resistance trainer is heavy but very
stable. It is the most quiet among all the types of trainers. For that reason,
the price is the highest among all. However, they are prone to leakage and also
overheat.
Conclusion
Whether rollers
or resistance trainer, both equipment reduce a lot of risk and hazard cyclists
normally face when cycling outdoor. Family need not to worry about our safety
and we get to watch our favourite DVD while doing our training. Isn’t that
killing two birds with one stone? =) Since I’ve explained the differences, now
it is your decision whether to pick which type of equipment to suit your needs.
Picture of me
cycling with a Magnetic Resistance Trainer inside my cabin onboard Frigate KD
JEBAT.
No comments:
Post a Comment