turbo training
brad.page
Posts: 5
Does anybody know if using a normal tyre on a turbo trainer is ok, or do i need to use a dedicated turbo trainer tyre? only intend to be on it for about half an hour.
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I only use a normal tyre as I use my winter/work bike on mine.
I think its more of an issue if you hammer the trainer which my legs wont do...yet.
Also the kind of roller you have will make a difference.The Elite gel rollers are not to bad but the metal rollers on Tacx can warm up a tyre a lot more in my experience0 -
Ive generally found that using your road tyres on the turbo considerably shorthens their life span....so its an extra few quid for a new tyre or no training at all because of darkness etc...so money well spent on the new tyre0
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I got a turbo tyre in the end as I kept getting flats with road tyres. Solved the problem.0
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thanks for comments
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I use an old tyre since I have loads that are no longer suitable for use on the road due to cuts or a slightly splitting carcass. They last for ages on the turbo and are free!0
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Road tires are not designed for the heat build up you get with the trainer drums.
Depends how you use a trainer. If you use it at easy paces, and old, hard road tyres are ok. however, I find that the drum pressure has to increase in a way that may affect the hubs.
If you use the training DVDs at high intensity, you can burn out a road tyre in 1-2 hrs.
In the long run trainer-specific tyres save you money. I've been using the same one now for three indoor seasons (3 -4 months in Canada).0 -
I have done over 400 miles on my turbo with a normal road tyre, not worn that much, I have a Tacx Flow, and Bontrager tyre.0
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I am surprised that you find that there is a big heat build up on your turbo. I can do a really hard ride on mine and the trye is not hot. I can do 2 hours on there, with 40 mins of interval work and I don't get a hot tyre (warm, but not hot). In 10 years and probably 20000 miles on the turbo I haven't had one failure. In fact I know lots of people who turbo train and I have never heard of the problem that you have. I think there must be a setup issue with your turbo.
The hubs certainly won't get hot - the heat couldn't be transported from the tyre, to the rim, down the spokes and then get the bub too hot. If your hub gets hot this probably indicates that the clamp is too tight and is compressing the bearings in the rear hub.
Interestingly, tyres designed for turbo trainers came a long time after turbo trainers were introduced. The key advantage that I am aware of is that they should be much more quiet. If you use a good quality tyre it does seem a waste to use it on the turbo, but that is all.0 -
Yellow Cliff wrote:I am surprised that you find that there is a big heat build up on your turbo. I can do a really hard ride on mine and the trye is not hot. I can do 2 hours on there, with 40 mins of interval work and I don't get a hot tyre (warm, but not hot). In 10 years and probably 20000 miles on the turbo I haven't had one failure. In fact I know lots of people who turbo train and I have never heard of the problem that you have. I think there must be a setup issue with your turbo.
The hubs certainly won't get hot - the heat couldn't be transported from the tyre, to the rim, down the spokes and then get the bub too hot. If your hub gets hot this probably indicates that the clamp is too tight and is compressing the bearings in the rear hub.
Interestingly, tyres designed for turbo trainers came a long time after turbo trainers were introduced. The key advantage that I am aware of is that they should be much more quiet. If you use a good quality tyre it does seem a waste to use it on the turbo, but that is all.
I've heard of plenty of failures. And the turbo-specific tyres are sold mostly with the heat aspect in mind, rather than the noise, which is minimal on a slick tyre anyway.
Interestingly, tyres designed for turbo trainers came a long time after turbo trainers were introduced.
amazing. Did you also know that carbon was first used as a frame material a long time after steel was? It's called progress0 -
singlespeedexplosif wrote:Did you also know that carbon was first used as a frame material a long time after steel was? It's called progress
Ah, but the point that I am making is that, using your analogy, you can still use a steel frame just fine. Turbo tyres might be better, but they are not necessary.0 -
no argument there. Turbo tyres are better, but not necessary.0
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Surely a spare wheel is the way to go... nobody actually swaps tyres around.... do they???0
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I use a normal tire on my trainer despite having a spair wheel fitted with a turbo tire and have no problems. I know someone else who ruined a tire in a few hours on his turbo trainer.
The trainer i use (cyclops fluid2) has a large diameter smooth drum - similar in size to a can of coke, the other guy has trainer with a small diameter textured drum (about the size of a seatpost) which seems to be very harsh on tires.0 -
I've always used the special blue tacx tyre with my tacx fortius. Don't know for certain if it's any better than a normal road tyre, but I seem to have none of the problems with the fortius that everyone else on the tacx site is always moaning on about.
For me it's just a way of minimising the variables I have to consider if anything ever goes wrong. For the same reason I'm one of those annoying pedants who always joins my campy chain with the proper campy chain tool, torques everything to the recommended tightness etc. Things always go wrong with bikes sooner or later, but at least if you've done everything by the book you can be righteously pissed off when it does, and it's usually easier to identify the cause...
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