EEEKKK!!! I rode on a trainer....

[rocknrollgirl]

OK I am a dummy. What is the diff between a roller and a trainer. My front wheel came off and it support the bottom bracket and had a rolly thing on the back.

Roller or trainer?

[han-grrl]

the roller has 3 cylinders on which the bike "rides" on, so front and back wheels are turning. think treadmill for bikes. my husband used it in a doorway just in case he tipped over (which he did many many times). it will definitely take some practice until he has the bike going perfectly straight, as it does take balance.

the trainer has the back wheel elevatated and the resistance is set on the back wheel. the rollers don't have adjustable resistance, you use your gears.

some people love the rollers but you have to pay attention so you don't fall off! a friend of mine mentioned how he was watching a TdeF video and just about flew off because of the camera angle in on of the sharp turns (ie he tried to turn too! )

[7rider]

OK I am a dummy. What is the diff between a roller and a trainer. My front wheel came off and it support the bottom bracket and had a rolly thing on the back.

Roller or trainer?

Trainer.
With a trainer, the bike is supported - the rear wheel (or bottom bracket) is clamped tight by the unit, the rear wheel tracks along a "rolly thingy" in back and the front wheel (usually) sits on the floor or block.
Rollers are a sort of treadmill for your bike. It is free and requires you to balance the bike to keep it upright, just like on the road. It's 3 rollers in a row - two for the back wheel, 1 for the front. Nothing attaches to the bike (however, there are some rollers that have a front wheel support that you may use until you get used to it, but that sort of defeats the purpose of them, ultimately).

p.s. Han-grrl....some rollers have resistance units. My DH's does. Mine does not and cannot accept one. But yeah, they can be tricky to learn!

[rocknrollgirl]

OK, so mine was a trainer....roller sounds like a crash waitin' to happen!