Is it true that Indoor trainers cause significant damage to your road bike? Damage being: Headset gets "grooved", corrosion from perspiration.
Indoor Trainer Damage
- Thread starter TourdeForce2424
- Start date
Your trainer will not harm your bike. Your sweat can foul up the headset and cause corrosion. Drape a towel over the headset and stem and clean your bike down when you are done. In addition, regularly maintain the headset and if you have a quill stem, remove it & regrease it regularly. You may even wish to use antiseize lubricant rather than regular grease. It's available from any auto parts shop.
Agree with the advice to use a towel and clean off the bike when done if any sweat drips on the tubes. I use my 30 year old steel bike on the trainer, and have some corrosion on the underside of the top tube as a result of not keeping it clean.
There are special bike-protector towels which are made with elastic loops to go over the handlebars and seatpost, suspending the terrycloth above the top tube. Haven't tried them yet though.
On the headset, I don't see why any damage would be done at all with just your normal upper body weight resting on the bars. Grooving of the headset should only occur from high-impacts of slamming into and over road bumps, not bodyweight.
Dan
There are special bike-protector towels which are made with elastic loops to go over the handlebars and seatpost, suspending the terrycloth above the top tube. Haven't tried them yet though.
On the headset, I don't see why any damage would be done at all with just your normal upper body weight resting on the bars. Grooving of the headset should only occur from high-impacts of slamming into and over road bumps, not bodyweight.
Dan
I"ve seen some people on trainer-clamped bikes stand up and start to sprint like they're on the road and really start torquing the handlebars around and really flexing the frame. Total idiots.
Just be smooth and follow the advice of the previous posters. Some people do use different tires for their trainer so they don't wear out their road tires. Trainers do tend to be a bit hard on tires by wearing down a center flat on them.
Just be smooth and follow the advice of the previous posters. Some people do use different tires for their trainer so they don't wear out their road tires. Trainers do tend to be a bit hard on tires by wearing down a center flat on them.
Regarding tires -- use a cheap slick -- there is no reason to destroy perfectly good $50 Continentals!
Also, if you have used the tires outside on the road, clean them off with a little rubbing alcohol and a rag before putting the bike on the trainer.
Finally, DO NOT over tighten the tension of the roller on the tire. A couple of turns after contact is enough -- just so that the tire doesn't slip.
Good point on the roller pressure.....a couple of turns after contact works for me too. My old bike runs 27 x 1&1/4 tires, so they are a lot cheaper than the Conti 3000's I run on the road.
Finally had to come inside to the trainer this week. HR monitor on, ready to lay down some big base miles for next year.
Besides, the old Raleigh takes me back to the roots of modern cycling....Simplex friction shifting, Brooks B17 and all the rest.
Dan
Finally had to come inside to the trainer this week. HR monitor on, ready to lay down some big base miles for next year.
Besides, the old Raleigh takes me back to the roots of modern cycling....Simplex friction shifting, Brooks B17 and all the rest.
Dan
I just bought a Cycleops2 myself and am having difficulty with the idea of putting my carbon road bike on there. I'm thinking my rain ride, a hefty circa '93 mountain bike, is going to get the honors.
In the 80s, I used my road bike on one of that era's trainers where the fork attaches and an arm went behind the BB to bolt it down. That had to be tougher than today's trainers, yet that bike was just fine from it all.
In the 80s, I used my road bike on one of that era's trainers where the fork attaches and an arm went behind the BB to bolt it down. That had to be tougher than today's trainers, yet that bike was just fine from it all.
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