mag trainer eating my tires

[M2cycler]

i've heard people write of how indoor trainers shred tires but i thought they were exagerating. now its happened to me after just 1 hour on the trainer. i basically need a new tire after that one use.

does anyone know how to reduce tire wear or which tires fair well to trainer use.

the tire i used was a maxxis xenith 23.

thanks

 

[jgatts]

Originally posted by M2cycler
i've heard people write of how indoor trainers shred tires but i thought they were exagerating. now its happened to me after just 1 hour on the trainer. i basically need a new tire after that one use.

does anyone know how to reduce tire wear or which tires fair well to trainer use.

the tire i used was a maxxis xenith 23.

thanks

I haven't reached any firm conclusions yet, but it seems like I get the best results when I use very high tire pressure (>120 psi on 700x23) and tighten the part of the trainer that contacts the tire just enough that it doesn't slip.

As far as tires go, there does appear to be some variation in how well they last on the trainer. I have an old Specialized Team Turbo with a tear in the sidewall that rendered it too scary to ride on the road, which I now use on the trainer. It's lasted me for at least 20-30 hours, and seems to have plenty of life left in it. I also put my beater fixie, with cheap Nashbar 27x1.25 tires, on the trainer a few times and it didn't seem to wear the tires at all. Moral of the story: use your old tires on the trainer. If you don't have any, buy the cheapest ones you can find and use them. Definitely do not use your good tires on the trainer.

HTH.

--Josh

 

[M2cycler]

thanks for the ideas, i'll give them a try.

 

[Julian Radowsky]

I find that Continental Sport 1000 last pretty long on the mag trainer (700x23, pumped up to 8.5 bar, flywheel just tight enough to avoid slipping when sprinting), they last at least 150 hours. Conti GP3000 don't even last 40 hours before the tread separates from the casing.

Very important: make sure that your rear wheel (rim) is as perfectly round as possible, any flat spots or ovalisation, no matter how small, will cause a hot spot on the tire, and it will not last long at all.

 

[meehs]

From my experience, it's important not to overtighten the resistance roller against the tire. As was said in aprevious post, just enough so that the tire doesn't slip.

Also, I used to purchase an inexpensive (cheap) tire for use on the trainer in order to save wear on the good tires. However I found that the cheap tires would more or less disinegrate in short order on the trainer!

 

[lokstah]

Originally posted by meehs
From my experience, it's important not to overtighten the resistance roller against the tire. As was said in aprevious post, just enough so that the tire doesn't slip.

Also, I used to purchase an inexpensive (cheap) tire for use on the trainer in order to save wear on the good tires. However I found that the cheap tires would more or less disinegrate in short order on the trainer!

Agreed, good suggestions. The tighter the resistance unit grabs the tire, the faster it wears. A bit counter-intuitive, maybe, but seems to be the case. Using a cheaper tire, or having a rear wheel set aside for indoor training, isn't a bad idea either; I can't go that route myself, though, because it cuts into the speed and convenience factor that's essential to keeping me in a workout pattern. If it's wet, cold, or dark outside, and I can't set up the trainer in under three minutes, I'm going to end up watching TV or eating instead.

 

[Ted B]

I've found that the tires wear quickly unless the contact force between the tire and the roller is correct. This is because tire slippage is the cause of the problem. What you do is slowly tighten the tire down on the roller until you reach the point whereby if you grab the rim and jerk it, the tire does not slip. If it does, every time you accelerate or sprint, the slippage will cause considerable wear. Get the tension right and the tires will wear normally.

 

[lokstah]

Originally posted by Ted B
I've found that the tires wear quickly unless the contact force between the tire and the roller is correct. This is because tire slippage is the cause of the problem. What you do is slowly tighten the tire down on the roller until you reach the point whereby if you grab the rim and jerk it, the tire does not slip. If it does, every time you accelerate or sprint, the slippage will cause considerable wear. Get the tension right and the tires will wear normally.

See, that's what I'm curious about. General wisdom would suggest that this is the case -- that under tightening the unit would result in slippage and greater friction, causing wear. But in my personal experience, consistent with what I've read, over tightening contributes more commonly to the problem.

Anyone understand why that's the case, if it is? Or does Ted's description hold true after all? Personally, I don't change to cheaper tires when I use my trainer, so I'm always interested in ways to save rubber.

 

[CipoWins42]

Here's another kicker.
I probaby, according to you guys, over tighten mine. I haven't noticed any wear at all. I use the same tires that I ride on, Michelin Axial Pros or the like. I really crank down on it.

 

[Ted B]

Originally posted by CipoWins42
Here's another kicker.
I probaby, according to you guys, over tighten mine. I haven't noticed any wear at all. I use the same tires that I ride on, Michelin Axial Pros or the like. I really crank down on it.

I ride the same tires (Axial Pros), and I was realizing significant wear and a glazed appearance on the contact surface of my tires *until* I tightened the bike down to the point where jerking the rim does not result in slippage (as I described above). There is no need to tighten things any further, but they do need to be that tight.

 

[drewski]

Originally posted by lokstah
See, that's what I'm curious about. General wisdom would suggest that this is the case -- that under tightening the unit would result in slippage and greater friction, causing wear. But in my personal experience, consistent with what I've read, over tightening contributes more commonly to the problem.

Anyone understand why that's the case, if it is? Or does Ted's description hold true after all? Personally, I don't change to cheaper tires when I use my trainer, so I'm always interested in ways to save rubber.

you're both right! how about that diplomatic answer?

over-tightened causes more tread deformation which causes more heat. it's like riding with your tires with lower pressures. more rolling resistance=>greater heat=>faster through your tires.

under-tightened is like when you start a sprint without enough weight over your rear-wheel. the wheel "skips" and inadvertantly "scrapes" the pavement instead of rolling.

though i think edging towards undertightened is better for th tire than overtightened. in the overtightened scenario, the increases wear is constantly happening, whereas in the undertighted scenario it is only happening under a harder acceleration. of course, severely under-tightened and the slippage is constantly happening . . .

 

[drewski]

Originally posted by CipoWins42
Here's another kicker.
I probaby, according to you guys, over tighten mine. I haven't noticed any wear at all. I use the same tires that I ride on, Michelin Axial Pros or the like. I really crank down on it.

it's easier to notice wear on non-slick tires. sometimes you can feel the top of hte slicks getting flatter before it's readily obvious ot the eye.

 

[lokstah]

Hey, nice answer to a good winter topic. Those sound like good enough explanations to me for now.

These days, I operate under the "tighten just enough to prevent slippage" mantra, and my wear has been minimal, so I'll buy your take.

 

[merubeyurubu]

Yikes! I didn't realize this could be such a problem. I have Conti Attack/Force tires on my roadbike (which is in my trainer) and Conti GP3000's on my Tri bike (which is at work on a trainer...). Seeing I live in New England, I prolly won't be on the roads for some time - guess I'd better go and get some cheapies!!!!

 

[Robot]

The principal is the same as for car tyres: excessive wear results from underinflation and/or overloading.
Pump you tyre to the max and be carefull not to overtighten the roller.
Use your old road tyres - once bald (slick) the wear rate will slow.
Also important that your wheel is properly balanced and true.
Happy rolling!

 

[M2cycler]

all excellent replies, i tried the minimal tightening first with gp1000s i had and noticed too much wear for my taste. i'll now try the tighten-till-it-does-not-slip-under-jerking way.

 

[M2cycler]

i did 1.5 hours on it tightening it right down and wear is much much better. there is not the pilling and ripping up of the tire that occured previously. funnily enough, tightening it right down is what the instructions said to do.

 

[malcomm]

I use the Minoura rim drive trainer. It contacts the brake surfaces of the rim rather than the tire.

If you are killing enough tires then it might be worth changing the trainer??

malcom

 

[cside]

Hi all

I recently bought a trainer and after my first ride I saw a fair amount of black stuff all over - I thought it was greased from the chain. Next thing my wife uses the trainer and wow black stuff all over the couch, the lounge and of course one very square tyre...

The guys at the LBS said that I should alwys pump the tyre hard and then ride with minimal tension. Similar to what you all have said here. My question then is why the hell are the traine manufacturers making these things with vaiable tensions, and even on the run settings?

Secondly I have a screw type adjustment setting, I find that if it is too slack then the tyre slips. Has anyone tried to put a spring in the mechanism to see if that will help with an even tension - Maybe I should try that and see the results....

 

[Rollo]

i used to have a minoura trainer and got fed up with it actually melting my tyres, unless i had it set up exactly right.

So a couple of weeks ago went out and bought an elite trainer, which you can't go wrong with. The bit which comes in contact with the tyre requires no setting up all you do is pusha lever and it releases a spring that pushes it up so that it's pushing against the tyre just right and have had very little if not no tyre wear as of yet.

Highly recommended.

Check it out: www.elite-it.com


Rollo