Smart trainers and poor indexing?

page23
page23 Posts: 182
edited November 2018 in Indoor training and turbo forum
Just wondering if people find they need to change their indexing much on the bike they use with their smart trainer? I use my previous winter/poor weather bike which has Ultegra on it - all in good condition; I've checked for wear etc. However, after 3-4 weeks I find I need to play around with the indexing as the gears won't change smoothly. I use this bike on a Wahoo Kickr and wonder if it has anything to do with the bike being in a relatively fixed position with 'different' forces acting through the rear aspect of the bike frame? I never seemed to have to do this when I used it as a winter/poor weather bike.

Thoughts? Similar experiences?

Comments

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Nope, I'm still using the Caad with 7900 on it, and whether it is on the Muin or with the real wheel, shifting is always bang on.
  • joey54321
    joey54321 Posts: 1,297
    I had heard this "if you're thinking of putting a bike on and off it frequently, you'll also more than likely have to adjust the gears each time as for some reason Wahoo didn't use whatever standard for axle/cassette spacing that the rest of the industry to. The fix for indexing is a) put up with it and adjust each time, or b) measure the difference between your wheel(s) and the kickr cassette, take out the spacer in the kickr and machine a new one the correct size to bring it all back in sync."

    regarding the Kickr, this was a previous version, I don't know it was correct in the latest model but it was the reason I sent mine back.
  • barongreenback
    barongreenback Posts: 229
    No issues with my Direto (11 speed) but I tend to run it in ERG mode most of the time. Drivetrain isn’t noisy though.
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Yep I have the same issue
    I've worked out that it's down to how tight you do up the QR skewer.
    I seem to do mine up tighter on the turbo than on a road wheel and that changes the position of the mech hanger
  • Bumo_b
    Bumo_b Posts: 211
    That would explain it. Think I do mine up tight and shifting is slightly different. Never thought of that.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    I find leaving both rear and front derailleurs on the smallest sprockets when you're storing the bike helps reduce some cable stretching too.
    _
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    I cannot claim to be OCD but I just cannot leave a mechanical derailleur under tension when not using it.
    If I change to etap , I am free of this obsession unless some smart alec comes up with a theory.
    Wahoo are probably not concerned with cheapskates who cannot leave a Dogma permanently attached to one of their turbos.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    Couldn't get a quiet drivetrain on my KIckr whatever I tried, so I chucked away the cassette it came with and fitted a Shimano 105. Much, much better. And I'm running Campagnolo EPS mechs/shifters. KMC chain.
    ....Dogma permanently attached to one of their turbos.
    Colnago C59 on mine :)

Categories