Trainer Accessories

100% Yes. Even old school turbo trainers from the 90's could provide enough resistance to improve fitness. Former Australian pro' rider Mat Hayman won Paris Roubaix in 2016 training solely on Zwift - this followed a crash in which he broke his arm a few weeks earlier.

There are a few things which definitely help when using a home trainer. An electric fan will help cooling and reduce the amount of fluid you lose through sweating. A trainer mat will help stop sweat from staining / marking the floor and reduce vibration / noise. Covering your bike with something to catch the sweat is also a good idea because sweat can corrode bike parts very quickly.

If you are not using Zwift, or other training platform, you might benefit from music to listen to, or a film to watch on TV if you are up for a long session.

If you are using Zwift, you will need a Zwift compatible trainer (check Zwift website), an Ant+ or Blutooth dongle, a computer, smartphone or Pad.

Yes, some smart fluid trainers are very quiet, the Dare2Ride Fuego, for example only produces 52 Db at 30KPH, this is similar to the noise produced from a electric fan.

Riding rollers takes a little practice to get used to. It is much easier to start riding them in a door frame or next to a wall on one side - this makes it easier to start and stop - also there for any initial emergencies when you are starting.