General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Resistance trainer setup questions Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2013-11-14 7:12 AM

User image

Extreme Veteran
1234
100010010025
West Michigan
Subject: Resistance trainer setup questions

I'm new to trainers and have a few questions around setup.  I don't know the model, however it's a blackburn and believe it's a magnetic resistance trainer with the resistance adjuster on the back, no way to adjust while riding.

*  How much PSI is needed if I'm using an old roadie tire?  Will the tire wear faster with too low or too high PSI?

*  It came with a skewer, is this recommended and does it provide a benefit other than not scratching up my wheel's skewer? 

*  Do I need to have my front tire at the exact elevation from the floor that the rear is or is "close" good enough? 

*  When the resistance is set, is it expected that I would be able to switch gears to increase resistance or is it typically find your groove gear and just spin in that gear the whole time?  I ask because as I experimented with the resistance setting it was either too "light" and the pedal cadence wasn't fluid....Conversely when I cranked it down harder, it seemed that as I moved through a few of my bigger gears there wasn't much difference in resistance compared to same gear changes on the road.

I could probably answer a lot of my own quetsions over time however with all the experience out there I thought it would be quicker to ask the experts....

As for my trainer plans, the goal is to ride the trainer 2x during the week (assuming I get it set up properly and comfortable, 1-1.5 hours per ride) and then hit the streets on the weekends when it's light out....

Thanks for any responses and advice. 



2013-11-14 8:00 AM
in reply to: TriMike

User image

Member
1748
100050010010025
Exton, PA
Subject: RE: Resistance trainer setup questions
Originally posted by TriMike

I'm new to trainers and have a few questions around setup.  I don't know the model, however it's a blackburn and believe it's a magnetic resistance trainer with the resistance adjuster on the back, no way to adjust while riding.

*  How much PSI is needed if I'm using an old roadie tire?  Will the tire wear faster with too low or too high PSI?

*  It came with a skewer, is this recommended and does it provide a benefit other than not scratching up my wheel's skewer? 

*  Do I need to have my front tire at the exact elevation from the floor that the rear is or is "close" good enough? 

*  When the resistance is set, is it expected that I would be able to switch gears to increase resistance or is it typically find your groove gear and just spin in that gear the whole time?  I ask because as I experimented with the resistance setting it was either too "light" and the pedal cadence wasn't fluid....Conversely when I cranked it down harder, it seemed that as I moved through a few of my bigger gears there wasn't much difference in resistance compared to same gear changes on the road.

I could probably answer a lot of my own quetsions over time however with all the experience out there I thought it would be quicker to ask the experts....

As for my trainer plans, the goal is to ride the trainer 2x during the week (assuming I get it set up properly and comfortable, 1-1.5 hours per ride) and then hit the streets on the weekends when it's light out....

Thanks for any responses and advice. 




I use old road tires on my trainer as well, to set it up I put enough pressure on the tire so that when I hold the flywheel of the trainer and grab the rear tire I can pull hard and just make it slip. I would too much pressure makes it wear faster.

Use the steel skewer they gave you, the Al, Ti, plastic cap ones won't hold up since the trainer holds your bike by the skewer ends.

Front tire- I usually leave it about level, I don't think there is much advantage to changing the elevation.

I change gears up and down on the trainer for more or less resistance. When you first get on the fluid in the trainer is cold and much harder to pedal, after you have be on for 10-15 minutes it warms up and get easier.

2013-11-14 1:21 PM
in reply to: TriMike

User image

Champion
10668
500050005001002525
Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: Resistance trainer setup questions

Originally posted by TriMike*  How much PSI is needed if I'm using an old roadie tire?  Will the tire wear faster with too low or too high PSI?

I use the same pressure I would on the road. It'll wear faster on the trainer regardless of the pressure you use.

*  It came with a skewer, is this recommended and does it provide a benefit other than not scratching up my wheel's skewer? 

Depends on the skewers you have. Most of the external-cam types just don't fit well and won't be as secure. Use what came with the trainer.

*  Do I need to have my front tire at the exact elevation from the floor that the rear is or is "close" good enough? 

It's not "needed", but you'll likely feel better if it is pretty darn close.

*  When the resistance is set, is it expected that I would be able to switch gears to increase resistance or is it typically find your groove gear and just spin in that gear the whole time?  I ask because as I experimented with the resistance setting it was either too "light" and the pedal cadence wasn't fluid....Conversely when I cranked it down harder, it seemed that as I moved through a few of my bigger gears there wasn't much difference in resistance compared to same gear changes on the road.

Without remote adjustment, I'd suggest setting it pretty high and use your gears to vary resistance. The speed response isn't the same as on the road -- the curve flattens out rather than rising exponentially. Meaning you'll run through more gears on the trainer than you would on the road for the same range of resistance.

New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Resistance trainer setup questions Rss Feed  
RELATED POSTS

Trainer setup question

Started by notquitethere
Views: 850 Posts: 7

2011-09-20 2:09 PM notquitethere

Trainer Resistance Question

Started by ingleshteechur
Views: 1848 Posts: 14

2011-02-12 2:34 PM ingleshteechur

Fluid trainer question - weird(?) resistance levels

Started by red66stang
Views: 872 Posts: 8

2010-02-02 7:26 PM Durvish

Trainer resistance question

Started by goobergirl98
Views: 838 Posts: 2

2009-03-03 9:49 PM dredwards

Rolling Resistance and Indoor Trainers

Started by qbtri
Views: 1081 Posts: 6

2006-01-20 10:35 AM Daremo
RELATED ARTICLES
date : November 28, 2011
author : juliapurr
comments : 0
Bored out of your mind or watching a movie? Amp it up on the bike trainer.
 
date : November 23, 2009
author : mikericci
comments : 0
At the midpoint of the run I felt my calves start to cramp. How do I improve my cramping resistance and are there any extra training or exercise for me to improve on?
date : December 28, 2008
author : mat steinmetz
comments : 1
Tired of your bike trainer already? Here are two indoor bike trainer workouts that you can use to keep things interesting while keeping your cycling fitness up.
 
date : June 21, 2006
author : Ron
comments : 0
A few trathletes at a local race setup their transition area.
date : March 5, 2006
author : acbadger
comments : 0
Has anyone out there using the resistance bands insead of weights for strength training? If so, what have your results been?
 
date : May 16, 2005
author : bflrich
comments : 0
Many plateaus are actually resistance to accept that what used to work doesn’t carry the same bang anymore. Keep pushing and let yourself sweat. Don’t try to be comfortable, embrace the suffering.
date : November 14, 2004
author : Glenn
comments : 0
I have seen cyclists go to a bike shop the day before a race expecting their problem to be fixed, only to be told the shop cannot complete the job in time.
 
date : September 1, 2004
author : TriSports.com
comments : 0
As the Holiday season approaches and temperatures steadily drop, triathletes become faced with a difficult decision, to ride or not to ride.