Roller trainer tire wear?



dannomyte

New Member
Aug 11, 2005
52
2
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55
Winnipeg, MB
I've been using a new set of Minoura Action Rolers for a couple of weeks now and I am noticing a lot of wear on my rear tire. Have any of you noticed this? Is this normal? Should I run less pressure in the tire? Special tire?
 
dannomyte said:
I've been using a new set of Minoura Action Rolers for a couple of weeks now and I am noticing a lot of wear on my rear tire. Have any of you noticed this? Is this normal? Should I run less pressure in the tire? Special tire?

less pressure will likely result in more, not less wear..

how much pressure are you using and how much to you weigh?
 
dannomyte said:
I've been using a new set of Minoura Action Rolers for a couple of weeks now and I am noticing a lot of wear on my rear tire. Have any of you noticed this? Is this normal? Should I run less pressure in the tire? Special tire?

It isn't a matter of tire pressure, though lowering it much will be counter productive. Most folks set the roller contact pressure way too high. It should only be enough to drive the roller without slippage.

It helps to wipe the roller down with a bit of alcohol to remove any film of oil left from manufacturing. It also helps to have very true wheels free of any hops.

Lastly, if you have room between the roller unit and the tensioning screw, insert a rubber or elastomer block so that the roller more easily maintain contact with an untrue tire, as the height changes.

Other than that all I can suggest is using old or cheap tires on the trainer to save dough on tire replacement.
 
FBinNY said:
It isn't a matter of tire pressure, though lowering it much will be counter productive. Most folks set the roller contact pressure way too high. It should only be enough to drive the roller without slippage.

It helps to wipe the roller down with a bit of alcohol to remove any film of oil left from manufacturing. It also helps to have very true wheels free of any hops.

Lastly, if you have room between the roller unit and the tensioning screw, insert a rubber or elastomer block so that the roller more easily maintain contact with an untrue tire, as the height changes.

Other than that all I can suggest is using old or cheap tires on the trainer to save dough on tire replacement.

i believe the OP is referring to rollers not a stationary type trainer.. meaning that there is no screw to set roller pressure and it is strictly dictated by the weight of rider and bike.. and so the tire pressure should be dictated to offset the rider's weight and why i ask what pressure he's using and what his weight is..

i do agree with the advice to get some cheap tires that you don't care about flattening off or wearing down quickly for riding indoors. if you can use a separate set of wheels for the crappy roller tires even better then when you want to ride outside it's just a matter of changing wheels and not tires.


minoura-action-rollers.jpg
 
You're absolutely right, I"m so used to folks with trainers that I read that into his post. But in any case he'd still be best off with the maximum pressure that won't make riding to skittish.

Since the tire isn't on a flat surface the contact patch is extremely short and the tire deflects under load far more than it would in road use, working the side walls pretty hard. If he does lots of roller riding buying cheap smooth wide section tires will pay off in the long run, and with little invested he'd have the option of dropping the pressure to increase resistance if he wants to.
 
Thanks for the feedback! I am using a stationary roller system similar to the one pictured above. I am running at 110 psi and weigh about 190 (I'm not really proud of that and that's why I invested in the rollers!) Is it normal to be experiencing increased rates of wear? I will invest in some new cheaper tires thought, that's a great idea..

As a side now, for anyone thinking of getting a stationary set of roller, I highly recommend it. What an experience. I am finding that it is really helping me stabilize my form and it is a GREAT workout!
 
Don't feel bad I'm 200lbs and yes I do go through tires on my rollers I do about 3,700 miles per year mostly on the free motion rollers. I used armadillo elites to create more resistance on my 3.5 inch drums and I would pop them about every 5 months. I am currently experimenting with the MTB armadillo semislick commuter tires they seem indestructable (and louder) but I only have 380 miles on them so far.
 
I notice the same thing when I use my trainer. Is there a special tire that they make to use with those that won't wear out as fast? Just curious...:cool: