Rollers are better to train on. They are much more realistic, less boring, help form, easier to use different bikes (road, tri, etc..). The tradeoff is that they are much more difficult to use, take some time to master, and you can not just "zone off". You have to pay attention on rollers, but they are much more realistic.

ben

Neither is "better", they provide different training experiences and benefits and come with different attendant drawbacks. Rollers provide a high degree of skill training while most people find they can get a better "brute force" workout on an indoor stationary trainer since they don't have to worry about accidentally riding off the rollers. A beautiful marriage of the two is the Kreitler Killer Headwind Trainer which is a big wind resistance fan combined with 15" PVC drum rollers. They also sell a fork stand so you can have the best of all worlds. Then all you need is a Compu-Trainer and a set of Powercranks and you'll be bombproff. Broke, but bombproof.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I've got a stand that attaches to the front drum of the rollers at the side and has clamps that attach to my bars. This way I can ride the rollers (which provide a much more realistic feel than a trainer) and not worry about losing focus and falling off the edge. Works great at 5am when I'm still half asleep.

I have a cyclops mag trainer that I use every now and then. It is nice but I prefer the rollers.

I'm not so sure about rollers being more realistic (per ben's post)... I haven't yet ridden a bike that you have to concentrate so much so that if you bobble a little you end up on the ground. However, I have ridden a set of rollers that a bobble (and a lapse of concentration) would slam dunked me onto the ground in nano-second. I know of no bike rides that required the amount of concentration with balance and spin as Rollers require. From that perspective roller's are not more realistic but will improve bike handling skills. However, from every other "feel" perspective ben is correct. As noted, Rollers are a good training tool but difficult to learn and master. Are they better than trainers?

Depends upon what you attempting to accomplish is my reply. Each training device is better than another for different reasons.

FWIW Joe Moya