Turbo Trainers advice

[Hackney]

I'm just about to buy a turbo trainer, I won't be spending a fortune on it (I've seen some on ebay for circa £60) but I'll be using my brand new bike on it quite a lot in the next few months.

Will extended use of a turbo trainer do any damage to the wheel?
Would it be worth buying a cheap wheel to use on the turbo trainer?

Thanks

[Doofus]

I know you can buy special tyres for turbo trainers, but I think that's all you'd need.

I use rollers, so can't comment from experience.

[Jimbo.]

It can kill rear tyres but, as said above, you can get turbo-trainer specific tyres, to save you wearing our your nicer rubber.

A cheap, spare wheel helps as you wouldn't have to faff about changing tyres every time you wanted to go out

[WarrenG]

I've got an Elite-IT mag-roller, which I got with the idea that it's quiet compared to a turbo. Which is quite good on a smooth road-tyre, but I worry about wear and tear on that rear tyre. But I also don't want to be swapping out the back wheel and changing tyres every time - how good are rollers by comparison?

[The Stiglet]

WarrenG said:

how good are rollers by comparison?

Better for your riding technique, core strength and you don't need to freak out about damaging your nice carbon bike because it isn't fixed into place when get up on the pedals etc.

Tyre wear comparisons? My guess is a little less on the rollers if you have resistance built into the unit. Turbos generally have higher resistance levels but then there are two tyres to worry about on the rollers...

[Hackney]

Well I got a Turbo Trainer - a Tacx Sirius.
It seems pretty quiet based on the short test I did after the set up.

To be honest I am freaking out about it. The instructions aren't very good. I'm not reassured when the official instruction leaflet tells me to "shove" something onto something else!

Now I'm about to enter into the whole tyre / wheel debate.

If I get a tougher tyre or a turbo trainer specific tyre will it be at all suitable for the road?
I don't think I can be bothered swapping tyres over all the time. Although I'm pretty good with mechanical things and DIY I do seem to have *the fear* when it comes to adjusting or taking apart my gorgeous carbon bike.

I think I may have to invest in a spare wheel, although the guy in the bike shop did say this could cause uneven wear on the chain etc.

If only it were simple.....and I could afford two bikes - one permanently on the trainer and one for the road..... or I lived somewhere with nice weather and didn't have to bother with the trainer at all.

[Rolls]

What are the rim drive turbos like compared to tyre drive?

[Rolls]

What are the rim drive turbos like compared to tyre drive?

[MadDad]

I use a TT on a regular basis and went down the route of getting a spare wheel and TT specific tyre, much easier to swap the wheel than swap the tyre!

In answer to your question re tyres; TT specific tyres are a different compound and shape to 'normal' tyres, also they do not have any grip or puncture protection so you won't want to be using it on the road. Initially I used a road tyre on my TT but noticed two things, the centre of the tyre was becoming very flat, and the shoulders were breaking down/cracking. I use one of these, does the job perfectly; http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/I...

You really should not worry about swapping wheels, adjusting gears etc on your bike, if anything these are key road skills and will come in very handy if your 60 miles from home and need to do some maintenance at the side of the road. Bikes really are quite robust so if you damage it changing a wheel then the problem is with you - not the bike Just remember, if you are swapping your wheel over make sure your rear mech is on the smallest cog, makes it much easier!!

One other thing nobody mentions when you start using a TT, make sure you cover your bars and headset in a towel, your sweat is very corrosive and you really want to keep it out of your headset, steerer and off your frame. If you want to be really flash tacx make one of these; http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/C...