trainer wheel

chatlow
chatlow Posts: 845
edited May 2016 in Road general
Just bought some Zonda wheels, along with gp4000 tyres, new cassette and chain. Was planning to continue using my older axis 1.0 rear wheel and conti tyre for my turbo trainer.

Do many switch wheels when going between road and trainer? I am worried that if I swap the rear wheel then the new chain will fight with the old cassette and there will be problems.

Someone suggested swapping tyres everytime so I use my older tyre for the trainer and new tyres for the road. This just seems silly. Saying no that that one.

Alternatively, I just use my winter bike for both commutes, rubbish weather and the trainer.

Comments

  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 674
    I swap the tyre on mine whenever I go on the turbo. Bit of a faff but only takes 2 minutes.

    I will get a spare wheel one day, and use that.

    I assume as long as your chain & cassette are in decent nick you should be able to swap without too many issues. If you've got an old cassette & new chain or vice versa then there will be issues.
  • chatlow
    chatlow Posts: 845
    really, wow, this folding tyre is a right pita to get on. Not feeling a tyre change 2-3 times a week before work in the morning.

    So yeah, perhaps i buy a new cassette for the old wheel too, then the new chain will be happy with both wheels. Or I just use the winter bike and flick mud all around the spare room :mrgreen:
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    How many miles has the cassette done? They're usually good for 6k+ miles so wouldn't be too concerned unless it's close?!

    I swap wheels out for the trainer, takes seconds and haven't had any problems with different aged cassette's.
  • chatlow
    chatlow Posts: 845
    prob done about 3k miles. teeth are in pretty good condition. never had a slip.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Yeah spare wheel and cassette with a trainer tyre on, much quicker to swap out the wheel than the tyre. Might get some issues with a slight gearing misalignment on a different cassette. You either figure out where to move the barrel adjuster to, or you put up with it.
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,510
    cgfw201 wrote:
    I swap the tyre on mine whenever I go on the turbo. Bit of a faff but only takes 2 minutes.
    2 minutes? BS.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    I'd like to see a 2 min tyre change too.

    FWIW I use my normal tyre on the turbo. You'll soon see if your turbo eats tyres or not - so why waste money on a tyre and wheel that you might not need to buy ? I've done plenty of hours on it with no drama.
  • step83
    step83 Posts: 4,170
    Takes me about two minutes to change a wheel let alone a tyre!

    I use a spare wheel with a QR skewer that came with the trainer so it fits. Saying that trainers broken so may need a new one.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    If you can get to near Coventry and are running 10 speed I have a wheel you can have for free! still runs ok, fine for the turbo!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • Taeo1
    Taeo1 Posts: 17
    I swap the wheel and have never had any issues!
  • chatlow
    chatlow Posts: 845
    majority going for wheel change. Will go and buy another cassette for the old wheel to avoid any kind of misfit, slipping issues. Nice to make good use of the old Axis wheel actually
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    Remember to check the alignment of the wheel when you change!

    I didn't last night and had to bail out after 10 mins of a Trainer Road Vo2 max session. Turns out the brake calliper was actually pressed hard against the wheel!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Dinyull wrote:
    Remember to check the alignment of the wheel when you change!

    I didn't last night and had to bail out after 10 mins of a Trainer Road Vo2 max session. Turns out the brake calliper was actually pressed hard against the wheel!

    When changing wheels I have to undo the QR on the brake anyway so I normally leave it undone as you don't need the brakes on the turbo and you can damage the turbo if you accidentally use them.
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    Me too...I had somehow managed to knock the calliper when changing the wheel though.

    Quite pleased that I managed to hold 125% of FTP @ 95rpm for a minute with the brakes on!
  • alex222
    alex222 Posts: 598
    edited April 2016
    Gave up on using my old wheel for the trainer. As mentioned earlier I would need to re-index so have decided I'll just accept the extra tyre wear.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    You'd be doing a lot of turbo miles to justify buying a new wheel etc compared to buying a new tyre a bit sooner.
  • I've said it before on other similar posts but if you're on good terms with your lbs ask them if they have an old wheel they're going to throw out, I got one that had a ding in the braking surface which , as mentioned above, isn't a problem on a turbo.
  • chatlow
    chatlow Posts: 845
    thanks for the suggestions here. Assume that anyone that uses a second spare wheel when using the trainer went and bought two of the exact same cassette to use on both trainer and standard wheels? Otherwise there would be gear mismatching and possible slipping if using old cassette with new chain.

    I bought a new group last week, so have made sure I had two of the same cassettes, to avoid any problems.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    No. I just use my road wheel. How much turbo are you planning?
  • chatlow
    chatlow Posts: 845
    cougie wrote:
    No. I just use my road wheel. How much turbo are you planning?

    Usually 3 times a week, depending on weather. Enough for the nice tyres to get worn down a lot faster than I would like
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    My turbo is no harsher on my tyres than the road is. I've spent a few serious blocks of training on the turbo - 5-6 sessions a week and the tyre was fine.

    If you want to save the tyre that's fine - but tyres are cheaper than the wheel and block that you're wanting to use, and I daresay the outdoors are harsher on tyres.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    chatlow wrote:
    thanks for the suggestions here. Assume that anyone that uses a second spare wheel when using the trainer went and bought two of the exact same cassette to use on both trainer and standard wheels? Otherwise there would be gear mismatching and possible slipping if using old cassette with new chain.

    I bought a new group last week, so have made sure I had two of the same cassettes, to avoid any problems.

    Sometimes the indexing is a tiny bit off using the turbo with a different wheel but it depends how much clink-clinking you're prepared to put up with! When I got my Tacx Neo it was a fair bit quieter so I noticed the gears that bit more. So I put an inline barrel adjuster on my rear gear cable so it just takes a quick twist while I'm riding.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    It is easier to switch to an old wheel with a cheap slick tyre... it's the lumpy steel qr that is required to clamp into the turbo, well mine anyway, an old fashioned Cycleops Fluid 2.. I'm doin 4 -5 sessions per week in the summer,,, rather than the 8 -9 in winter. If you save up for a direct drive, then wheel becomes a non question.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    chatlow wrote:
    thanks for the suggestions here. Assume that anyone that uses a second spare wheel when using the trainer went and bought two of the exact same cassette to use on both trainer and standard wheels? Otherwise there would be gear mismatching and possible slipping if using old cassette with new chain.

    I bought a new group last week, so have made sure I had two of the same cassettes, to avoid any problems.

    Sometimes the indexing is a tiny bit off using the turbo with a different wheel but it depends how much clink-clinking you're prepared to put up with! When I got my Tacx Neo it was a fair bit quieter so I noticed the gears that bit more. So I put an inline barrel adjuster on my rear gear cable so it just takes a quick twist while I'm riding.

    At the risk of a slight hijack of this thread how do you find the tacx neo? If i remember you used to have a kickr? which would you recommend, i think i'm going to get one or the other (maybe the elite real muin B+ or whatever it is called!)
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes