Trainer tension

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2014-12-17 7:19 PM

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Subject: Trainer tension
New to indoor bike trainers. I have a KK Road Machine and a Cycleops yellow trainer tire and am curious as to how much tension I should have on the tire. After every workout I notice Flakes of the tire on the floor below and some still stuck to the tire. It would seem at this rate the tire is only going to last a month (3 trainer rides per week) Any advice? Thanks all

2014-12-17 8:50 PM
in reply to: trifish2

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension
I have a Cyclops magnetic trainer and I put enough tension on the wheel to where I get minimal to no slippage when turning the pedals. For my tire, that tends to be about 2 1/2 full turns from the point where the roller starts to make contact.

I have used a continental trainer tire and it has lasted over 4 years, it is looking a little ragged but still works. I wouldn't worry too much about the flaking of the tire, trainer tires are typically a lot thicker than a road tire so will last pretty long.
2014-12-18 7:36 AM
in reply to: trifish2

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension
Not sure about the KK. I have CycleOps Jet Fluid Pro. I put the flywheel on the tire, give it a quarter turn and flip the lever to lick it in place. It makes a good size dent in the tire. Tire is still rocking after 3 years.
2014-12-18 8:09 AM
in reply to: trifish2

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension
Your tire will last longer than you think. Yes, the trainer can chew through tires but the tire will still last for a long time. After my tires get too worn for riding on the road I turn them into trainer tires.
2014-12-18 8:41 AM
in reply to: trifish2


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Subject: RE: Trainer tension
On my KK the magic tension is about 2.5 full turns after the tire touches the roller. It's tight enough that it doesn't slip when i apply constant pedal pressure but if my stroke is uneven it will squeak a bit. So that kind of helps with proper technique.
2014-12-18 8:44 AM
in reply to: trifish2

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension

I have a KK Road Machine as well. I'll give the wheel a quick pull & stop by hand to check for slippage. I'm fine with it being no slip to just the slightest squeak.

2014-12-18 9:01 AM
in reply to: brigby1

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension

Originally posted by brigby1

I have a KK Road Machine as well. I'll give the wheel a quick pull & stop by hand to check for slippage. I'm fine with it being no slip to just the slightest squeak.

This is exactly what I do as well.

2014-12-18 9:37 AM
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Subject: RE: Trainer tension

I use a KKRM with a Continental trainer tire for about 5 years now and have zero flakes after use. 

I set the tension so that with ~105PSI in the tire and cold resistance unit such that a 20mph to 0 spindown takes ~ 11-12 second, after ~10' warm-up period the spindown will then take ~13-14 seconds.  A while back on BT it was posted that a 13.5s (or maybe it was 13.8s) spindown time from 20mph is what matched the published resistance curve.  True or not that's what I have been using for a long time now.

FWIW, the spindown above equates to between 2.5 & 2.75 turns on my setup.

 



Edited by Donto 2014-12-18 9:40 AM
2014-12-18 10:16 AM
in reply to: Donto

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Subject: RE: Trainer tension
Originally posted by Donto

I use a KKRM with a Continental trainer tire for about 5 years now and have zero flakes after use. 

I set the tension so that with ~105PSI in the tire and cold resistance unit such that a 20mph to 0 spindown takes ~ 11-12 second, after ~10' warm-up period the spindown will then take ~13-14 seconds.  A while back on BT it was posted that a 13.5s (or maybe it was 13.8s) spindown time from 20mph is what matched the published resistance curve.  True or not that's what I have been using for a long time now.

FWIW, the spindown above equates to between 2.5 & 2.75 turns on my setup.

 




Yep ^^^^^^^^

Also, if you're tracking progress, training with power/virtual power etc. you want to keep that tension consistent. So if you remove the bike from the trainer air out the tire and remove such that the tension stays as constant as possible.
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