There are two common types of trainers available: stationary "turbo" trainers and rollers.

Stationary trainers clamp on to your rear fork and provide a rolling mechanism for your rear wheel. Resistance is offered by wind (a fan attached to the roller), fluid (a fan incased in oil attached to the roller) or magnets.

Wind units tend to be the cheapest. Fluid resistance tends to offer the smoothest ride. Magnetic units often have adjustable resistance. If you get a stationary trainer you should also get a block for the front wheel to keep the bike level.

Stationary trainers have the following advantages/disadvantages

Pros:

• Excellent for spin/muscle/aerobic training
• Easier to ride/learn
• Cheaper (usually) than rollers
• Some have computer interfaces to simulate road conditions
• More options for resistance control

Cons:

• Do nothing for balance and form
• Allows you to coast
• Cause a lot of wear on the rear wheel
• Causes more stress to the frame of the bike
• Requires no thought so can be mind numbing

Rollers provide 3 tubes two of which are connected by a belt. The front wheel rests on a single tube and the rear rests between two tubes. The belt from the front rear tube to the front tube causes the front wheel to spin with the rear wheel. Resistance is offered by friction and gears (smaller tubes offer more resistance) or a fan unit attached by a belt to one of the tubes.

Rollers have the following advantages/disadvantages:

Pros:

• Excellent for spin/muscle/aerobic training as well as form and balance
• Ride is more true to actual road riding
• Do not allow you to coast
• Force you to concentrate on your workout
• Less stress/wear on bike

Cons:

• Harder to learn/use
• More expensive than basic stationary trainers
• Less resistance options

The big reason most people avoid rollers is that they have a steep learning curve. The common fear is that you will ride off the rollers and hurt yourself. You can't actually ride off rollers like you might imagine, the only thing you can do is drop the front wheel off of the side of the roller which can cause you to loose your balance and fall. The best tip for learning to ride rollers is to start in a doorway so if you loose your balance you can just stick out your elbow to stop your fall.