Trainer Tire Selection

What is the life expectancy for a dedicated Trainer Tire. Just went through a CycleOps In about 6 months of what I would call easy use. (Prior to that one I had one explode on my trainer.) Replaced with a Schwalbe Performance. It seems more beefy but time will tell. Any recommendations on Trainer Tire Specific inflation pressure?
Thanks in advance.

Paul

If you have a dedicated trainer wheel just get a cheap road tire, or use an old road tire. You don’t need special rubber for the trainer.

3 Likes

I’ve had the same Continental trainer tire since Oct 2012, still going strong! It’s used with a KK Road Machine. I religiously pumped it up to 110psi and the same amount of turn tension for most of those years using TR virtual power before getting my Favero Assioma pedals about a year ago.

1 Like

How do you know its done? I have to admit I havent even checked my tire, Ive probably put at least 2K miles on it (Yellow Cycleops)

Started with a strange noise. When I inspected the tire, the rubber had 2 slits. The rubber was becoming detached from the inner liner

In used to do that. When I started to use a dedicated trainer tire the noise was so much lower and it never will slip under heavy watt increases. I used to use just my old tire from the summer’s previous use.

For the (very many) years I had a wheel-on trainer, I used my old road tires, and ran them until I was slipping on the threads. My old Minoura trainer ate tires like popcorn - there was a pile of rubber bits permanently behind the trainer. My trusty Tacx iMagic somehow was easy on tires, and I ended up with a backlog of trainer-ready, road-tired tires that I never used - I must have used the same Conti tire for at least 5 years.

Only recommendation on pressure is - always the same, whatever it is. In general higher pressures work better (less deformation, so less heating/wear).

1 Like

Not a fan of the cycleops branded tires. The yellow tires seems to have a a quiet but soft compound that gets rubber bits everywhere and wears down quickly. I now have a black one on that seems more resilient but is slippy and because of that it’s squeaky during accelerations which has been bothering me. I’m diligent about keeping my pressure both tire and roller(I use a cycleops jet fluid pro) but it still seems to suck. I’m planning on replacing it probably before it’s necessary with a different brand, probably continental.

1 Like

I have an old Continental trainer tire that has served me well for several years. I use it on my KK Road machine. Before EVERY ride I set it to 110psi and set the tension exactly the same. The Kurt branded one worked well but did not last as long as the Continental one has.

2 Likes

Old continental trainer tyre for me too and had it several years. Few cuts in it but no issues

1 Like

The one that exploded on me was a yellow one. And there was always fine yellow dust around the trainer from the tire.

I have continental home trainer tires on my wife’s bike and mine. One has been going several years with no issues. We have computrainers which are supposed to be tough on tires. I feel I can use less roller pressure with a dedicated trainer tire and not have any slippage. I pump them up to 115#, after a week or two the are down to 105 or so.

1 Like