Turbo with road tyres

markhewitt1978

Got a turbo for Christmas (Tacx Blue Matic) and in preparation got a turbo tyre on a spare back wheel

However I've since come to the realisation that changing the back wheel is a massive faff and chew on, especially since I have clip on mudguards for outside riding which need to be repositioned every time. I like fettling my bike but I can't stand faff before I get started.

So my question is; how many problems would it cause if I didn't change the wheel and used the turbo with my normal road tyres? They are GP 4 Seasons. Not having to change wheels makes the whole thing much easier. Also what of the quick release skewer? I've tried it and it works with my standard RS10 skewer but would I be damaging it?

mfin

It completely depends how much turboing you do, it will eat regular tyres but only proportionally to how much you do. Why not try it and be prepared to see how long your rear tyre lasts as they square off quite quickly.

Why not just leave the turbo skewer in your bike if you arent going to swap wheels about? If your RS10 one is nice and secure in the turbo you can use it no problem, the provided ones always fit in well on both sides though.

diamonddog

^^This

MountainMonster

I got a good amount of use out of my GP4000's on the turbo, but I have bought an extra tyre for the turbo just to save ruining a good tyre quicker than normal. I need a spare rear wheel, but no cash as of yet.

diamonddog

If you decide to leave the turbo skewer on the bike make sure that it is OK to do so, the one I have doesn't recommend it.

xscreamsuk

I have a dedicated turbo wheel, it has an old road tyre on it. I do about 6 - 7 hours a week of turbo and am on the same tyre 2 years later. Zero problems.

paul_onabike

Dont use the conti 4 season on a turbo - they de-laminate under normal use - so a turbo would shorten their lifespan even more. Nearly every 4 season tyre I have ever had has de-laminated in areas before the tread has worn out. On the turbo I use any old tyre on a separate wheel.

In fact I have stopped using 4 season tyres as they are just too expensive and lifespan is too short. I now use the standard conti grand prix, which is a much better ride with almost as much grip in winter. I use any skewer that securely locates the bike in the turbo, usually a standard shimano one.

Monty Dog

Before we had trainer-specific tyres we used to use normal tyres. Unless you put too much pressure on the roller, regular tyres are OK IME

Paul 8v

Regular tyres will wear faster. If there is anything you can do to make it easier to swap I would try and use your spare wheel. I believe the turbo specific tyre will be a bit quieter if that is a concern.

ScreaminWargasm

I have put many hours in on the turbo over summer due to being injured and not being able to get out on the road until Sept. I was using my normal Conti GP4000S tyres and although there was a slight amount of wear, it wasn't any more or less than what I would see out on the road. After a few months I switched the front and rear tyres round to even things out.
Not sure if it makes any difference however, I was using an Elite turbo that has a rubber contact area that the rear wheel sits on. Other turbo trainers may react differently.

Mick

GGBiker

Resistance rollers are the future, no tyre wear so super fast set up. If you want to have the bike supported on them get a fork stand.

Turbos have so many negatives, the major one being how mind numbing the experience is.

IMO of course !

Tiesetrotter

It does wear the tyre pretty heavily I have a Tacx genius and you can see a lot of rubber left on it after a 90min workout. But I use Rubino Pro Tech's in the winter, so the cost is not massive if you shop around. Considering the mess (cuts) the roads make of the tyre this time of year it really doesn't matter anyway.

Trubo .......... rollers ....... they are all hamster wheels. Hence I splashed the cash on the genius.

cougie

I think all turbos are different.

Mine has a metal roller and doesn't seem to wear my road tyres.

As MD says - turbo tyres are a new invention. We didn't need them in the past.

(and there will be a LOT of turbo tyres with about 4 hours use on come about March....)

amaferanga

The problem isn't tyre wear, it's the fact that normal tyres used on a turbo a lot get polished and until they get scrubbed again on the road you'll have no grip at all on damp roads. So if you do the odd turbo session mixed with regular road rides then it'll be fine, but if you spend weeks only on the turbo and then use the tyre on damp roads you'll have a very skittish bike.