Tires on a trainer

[etu]

Anyone have an estimate of how long tires last on a trainer?
If I get 2000 miles out on the road, what about on a trainer?
Do they get chewed up twice as fast? Asking because I have a $60 clincher on my bike that gets an hour of use per week and I really don't feel like getting a second rear wheel specifically for trainer use.

[Bruce K]

Road tires "burn up" pretty quickly

Buy a trainer tire

Fairly cheap and they last a LONG time

BK

[FlashUNC]

Trainer duty is for clinchers on their last legs.

[rando]

Trainer duty is for clinchers on their last legs.

Rollers duty is for clinchers on their last legs. Trainer duty is for trainer tires. Quite the generalization but mostly true. Older plastic rollers can be awful hard on tires while some trainers don't wear them overly fast.

As a rule you can ride nice tubs on metal rollers but the opposite doesn't hold true for a trainer.

[carpediemracing]

I have a set of training wheels that have had the same tires on them for about 15-20 months (I replaced them sometime last spring I think). I ride the trainer regularly, probably every month, and for me most of my rides are an hour long, with long trainer rides in the 3-5+ hour range. I started logging all my rides, including trainer rides, in late April of 2012. I missed at least one ride (<5 min, Thursday, but it wasn't on the trainer) but I think all my rides are there.

This is me (and any ride starting with "Trainer ride" is on the trainer):
http://app.strava.com/athletes/143064

I have the same rear tire on the rear wheel in all that time. All my training rides outside except for a couple where I was checking tubulars was on the same tire. Races I generally use the tubulars but I raced the training clinchers here and there.

It's getting a bit worn now but nothing major.

I check tire pressure for the trainer just like I do for the road - every time. I don't brake on the trainer - the roller will keep turning if you stop the wheel. I don't over tension the roller.

Tire is a training tire, Maxxis Re-Fuse. Prior to that I used some Bontragers (but I took them off because they were so terrible in the rain, and they were the All Condition something or anothers), and prior to that two sets of Krylions.

[shovelhd]

I have a Tacx trainer tire. Wears like iron and resists slippage.

[krismac23]

Trainer tire. Cheap and last as said before. I also use some of me worn clinchers but trainer tire in general. Don't like to wear prematurely wear down my nice clincher rubber.

[jamesau]

I think the key to maximizing road tire life subject to resistance trainer duty is two-fold. First, run high pressure (I'll run 110 psi on the trainer and 100 on the road). Secondly, adjust the roller force against the tire so it's just high enough to avoid tire slippage. These 2 things should minimize deformation of the tire's casing; tire deformation generates heat which leads to premature wear. I also wipe down the tire pretty well with a damp paper towel before putting on the trainer to remove accumulated road soils.

[AngryScientist]

i bought a set of used wheels that came with a used 25c gatorskin that was pretty beat up. i've logged hours and hours of trainer use with that thing, and though the rubber looks like it's kind of hard and glazed over, it's not really wearing out after all those hours. works for me.

to the OP's question: if you're riding the trainer an hour a week and the rest of the time on the road with the same tire, just go for it, that hour/week isnt going to kill your nice tires. keep the tire pressure up and the roller pressure fairly low and you'll be fine.

[Heisenberg]

Another benny to the trainer tire is noise - they're significantly quieter than the standard road rubber, IMO.

[pakora]

When I get cuts through the cords I boot them with a bit of whatever and relegate them to the trainer.

Then I ride them until they blow up. My current one has gone two winters and one side of the rubber is almost completely eaten and deadhered.

Maybe I'll change it this winter, since I have a pile of Trainer-Only-Duty tires waiting to replace it. But I find it amusing to see an old race tire on a wheel but ruined in this way.

[RichardL]

Yep, Conti Gatorskin works great on the trainer. Plus, one doesn't need to swap it out if the weather clears up for a day or two.

[etu]

i bought a set of used wheels that came with a used 25c gatorskin that was pretty beat up. i've logged hours and hours of trainer use with that thing, and though the rubber looks like it's kind of hard and glazed over, it's not really wearing out after all those hours. works for me.

to the OP's question: if you're riding the trainer an hour a week and the rest of the time on the road with the same tire, just go for it, that hour/week isnt going to kill your nice tires. keep the tire pressure up and the roller pressure fairly low and you'll be fine.

Thanks!
Sorry I was not clear, but since I will be riding through the winter, it would be a hassle to change tires just to ride on the trainer. Only real viable option is a second rear wheel which is not cheap, but could be worth it over the long run depending on rate of wear on the nice clinchers.
Guess I'll fin out how they hold up over the course of next few months!

[Heisenberg]

Thanks!
Sorry I was not clear, but since I will be riding through the winter, it would be a hassle to change tires just to ride on the trainer. Only real viable option is a second rear wheel which is not cheap, but could be worth it over the long run depending on rate of wear on the nice clinchers.
Guess I'll fin out how they hold up over the course of next few months!

If you spend more than a day a week on the trainer it's worth finding a crappy rear wheel, worn out cassette, and $30 trainer tire. No need to swap skewers, quieter use, no wearing tires weird, keeps the trainer roller fresh and clean, and no rubber residue on the floor.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/oval-concepts-327-wheelset?ti=UExQIENhdDpSb2FkIFdoZWVsczoxOjE6Y2NDYX QxMDAwNjg

Boom!

[eriku16]

Road tires "burn up" pretty quickly

Buy a trainer tire

Fairly cheap and they last a LONG time

BK

I just got so tired of sessions interrupted from treads separating and blowouts from roasting tires. :rolleyes:

I've been using a trainer tire for two seasons and just clocked 10k miles. The center rib has just started to wear.