So, if you have a trainer...

[Karma007]

Do you need a trainer wheel/tire? I may have a deal on a used CycleOps Mag Trainer, and I'm wondering how difficult it will be to use. Except for the possibility of crashing through the wall, I love the ease of my rollers. Will a trainer wear out my tire faster?

[Owlie]

Yes, you'll wear out your tire faster. Before you invest in a trainer tire, try finding an old one that you no longer use on the road (or ask your LBS) and swap that for your current rear tire. (If you don't have one, get the cheapest road tire you can find.) If you end up with black stuff everywhere, then you may want to consider an actual trainer tire.

[Karma007]

Do you actually change the tire every time? I'm thinking I would mount it on a cheap wheel, so it's easy to switch in and out. Often I don't know if I'm riding in or out until the morning of, so convenience counts.

[Cataboo]

I have a busted wheel that I don't use outside (it's no longer round) mounted with an old tire and a spare cassette. I swap it on my bike when I want to ride on the trainer.

As long as I keep the tire on that wheel pumped up to 110 psi and tighten the trainer to the wheel as hard as I can, I don't get black bits flying everywhere. The times that I've had the black bits flying, it's been either the tire pressure was too low or it wasn't tightened enough, which allowed the tire to slip and have black bits fly everywhere.

[Adventure Girl]

I'm thinking I would mount it on a cheap wheel, so it's easy to switch in and out.
That's what I do. I mounted an old tire to a cheap wheel for riding on my trainer. My trainer eats tires! It leaves a big flat spot down the center of the tire.

[Owlie]

Do you actually change the tire every time? I'm thinking I would mount it on a cheap wheel, so it's easy to switch in and out. Often I don't know if I'm riding in or out until the morning of, so convenience counts.

I've only got the one bike, but since I live in Ohio and we've been buried in snow and cold all but three days, I haven't really had a chance to ride. I'll be switching it out properly once it warms up.

[FunSize]

I only have one bike and one wheel, so i don't have an extra wheel with cassette to switch out. I just bought new, cheap, hearty tire to wear down on my trainer. when i'm ready to ride outside again i'll put the other tire back on.

I always keep an eye out on performancebike to see if their deal of the day is a tire.

But the trainers do ruin the tires FAST. so just keep an eye out of the one you have on.

[spindizzy]

I bought a trainer tire (Continental) 4 years ago. Still use it every winter. Works like a dream. No black tire stuff anywhere. I have to get my LBS to put the thing on, though. JP, one of the owners had it on in less than a minute....I only wish I had the skill...

[Karma007]

Ugh. I actually just spent the money and bought a cheep-o wheel and trainer tire. I figured out that, depending on the weather, I'll be switching it back and forth on a pretty regular basis, and this will be the most efficient way to go. I got the trainer for a great price, so I'll just consider it all an investment.

[Jordyne]

Bump: I'm wanting to buy a trainer and spare wheel. My bike is equipped with Sram but I've found a wheel with shimano 105 cassette. Can I mix a 105 cassette with sram components?

The wheel details: Sta-tru 700c Alex-r450 2200 rear sil wheel, kinetic 700x23 trainer tire and shimano 105 11-28 5700 10 speed cassette

Bike details: Specialized Dolce Sram Apex with SRAM Apex, 10-speed, 11-32t

[Owlie]

I think SRAM chains and cassettes are Shimano-compatible. I imagine that it'd work the opposite way too, but I'd check.

[Bones8]

I know this is an old thread but along the same lines, would it be okay to use a non-disc wheel for the trainer? I know I wouldn't be able to stop but that's not a big deal I suppose. Then I could use the old wheel from my Trek if I can find a trainer cheap.

[Becky]

Why not? My only hesitation would be if there were curious kids or pets who might stick a finger or nose where it doesn't belong, neccessitating a panic stop. Otherwise, I think friction will stop your rear wheel well enough.

[Bones8]

Hmmm no kids but I could picture my cat trying to stick his paw through the spokes...that's something to consider...

[Eden]

the noise from the trainer scares my cats enough that they have no interest in coming near me when it's moving…

[Becky]

Same here with the cats- they won't get near it when I'm riding. It's the dog that concerns me. He is not afraid of it and in fact likes to lay right next to me while I ride the trainer. No injuries yet, but I do worry sometimes.

[Aromig]

Why not? My only hesitation would be if there were curious kids or pets who might stick a finger or nose where it doesn't belong, neccessitating a panic stop. Otherwise, I think friction will stop your rear wheel well enough.

Unfortunately been there, done that a few weeks ago. The week before Christmas I was on my trainer and the dog and my eleven-year old were playing. They had a stuffed animal they were tossing/playing tug of war with. Somehow it got out of control, flew across the room and over the couch, and into my rear derailleur. Almost immediately all chaos erupted. The derailleur hanger broke in two, the derailleur went flying through my spokes, and the chain somehow got all twisted around and caught between the front chainring and the frame and severely chipped the paint (the bike shop said it didn't damage the underlying carbon thank goodness).

All in all -- new derailleur hangar, new chain, and the tire needed truing (thank goodness I stopped the tire quickly, luckily didn't break any spokes). It rides fine on the trainer but the cables were all chewed up and will need to be replaced before spring (I'm waiting until winter maintenance specials) and everything needs a fine adjustment anyway. Somehow my fairly new (got them in early November) Conti 4000S II tire had a huge chunk of rubber torn out so I can't even use it on the trainer because the thumping sound annoys me (I knew I should have taken if off anyway since the trainer tears it up but was hoping for some more outdoor riding) so I even had to get a new tire. Lesson learned though, I have an old tire on it now with the new tire just waiting for some spring like weather.

Two years ago, when moving my trainer we didn't get the wheel tightened up enough (husband didn't understand that you can flip a lever and turned the crank instead and I didn't realize it) and the bike actually fell out of the trainer while pedaling hard catching and breaking a bunch of spokes. My bike guys now tease me that indoors is much more dangerous for my bike that outdoor traffic.

[Crankin]

Geez, I've never had any of these issues. Some years I've had a different tire on there, but other years, no. Maybe I am not working hard enough?
The only damage we've had was to my DH's shin when he fell backwards off the stability ball and his leg got attacked by the chain ring on my bike on the trainer. He still has the scar, 8 years later.
It was kind of comical to watch that because he could have stood up after falling off the ball, but instead, he flopped over and hit the bike.

[tichick]

Another good reason to use a special "trainer" tire is because the basic tires can get too hot and the tube will burst. It has happened to me 3 times and I finally broke down and bought one. So far, so good.

[ridebikeme]

Interesting to read all of the stories here. Living in Maine, I spend a lot of time on a trainer and have been riding one since the 80's. WE also offer a trainer class in the shop, so lots of trainer time for sure. I always just use an old tire, and at times, have had to swap to another 'old' tire. But have never seen tubes explode, although anything is possible I guess. Have a good indoor season everyone!

[ny biker]

I don't use a special tire on the trainer because I still try to ride outside as much as possible with the same bike. If I had to change the tire every time I ride indoors, I would never ride indoors -- I don't have the time or ambition to make the change. But I also have not had any problems.