I’m just chewing through tires on the trainer, even trainer tires. Every couple of months. Is there such a thing as a solid trainer tire? anyone using such a thing with good results?
Might be something else at play with your setup?
What is the roller like on your trainer?
I have a 15yr old Bontrager tyre which is great, I’ve also been on my Gp5000s without to much issue.
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Indeed, please share:
Trainer, Tire Model, Tire Pressure, Roller Pressure (number of turns, practice).
It is a fluid trainer with a roller that I would guess has a 2" diameter. I have tried high pressure (100psi) and have blowouts, tried low (80) and tread breaks up. Most recent tire was a trainer tire which I don’t remember the name of. I suspect that my weight has a lot to do with it as I am a big guy (260+). Maybe the trainer just isn’t built for that.
Generally speaking, you need to use a tire pressure very close to or at the top end specified on the tire. That is because the pressure against the round roller is higher than rolling on a flat road. It’s not surprising that you had a tire die sooner at the lower pressure. It should not be done.
- Why?
- Is your trainer one of those that uses rider weight and gravity to hold the tire against the roller?
- Which exact model do you have?
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Your weight is supported by the trainer frame, not the tire on the roller. You may be using too much roller pressure, however.
Maybe, maybe not. Some trainers like the Bkool and older Elites use the rider weight and not actual roller compression:
Based on his comment, I wonder if this is the style he has?
Ach so - maybe then.
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It is a bike nashbar fluid trainer that isn’t on their website anymore, but it hinges such that the weight of the rider goes on to the roller. So when I use high pressure, the small roller must create so much pressure that I get the blowouts. Now that I am looking at other trainers, it seems that it must be too much weight than was ever anticipated for this trainer?
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Yes, it is like that trainer
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So this is why I trashed my tyres when I started attending roller sessions 
I wondered why everybody else was pumping theirs up at the start…
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I have a Tacx Satori ‘Smart’. I put ‘smart’ in quotes because it’s just a wheel-on dumb trainer that reports power based on speed.
And I will burn through a normal road tire (even gatorskins) in a matter of weeks and I recently had a Kinetic Trainer Tire blow out after ~3-4 months. I think it’s just a shit trainer that get way way too hot and weakens the rubber.
I don’t know your FTP but I think that some trainers were designed as more ‘entry level’ and not designed to dissipate the heat from longer intervals at higher power.
So it’s possible that a combination of not enough tire pressure, your weight, and higher power might just be too much for the trainer.
Thanks guys for the help. Looks like new trainer is on the shopping list instead of new tires.
appreciate it.
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I also recommend just getting cheap tires, instead of trainer tires. I ran a Specialized Espoir tire that is their base level tire. It is a cheap wire bead, with lots of tread that is super durable. Tires like that perform better and last longer in my experience.
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Agreed…when I was using a training center, I’d regularly see people go through trainer tires (usually bad beads and they’d get all warped) while I kept chugging along for years on my GatorSkins (not that GS are cheap, but you get the point).
Get a durable rear tire but there is no need for a tire supposedly designed just for a trainer.
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I used my hand-me-downs from the road on the trainer for years. Tires would start their life on my rear wheel, migrate to the front when they started to wear down, then onto the trainer pile. My old Minoura ate those like popcorn at the movies. There was black dust everywhere. My Tacx was much nicer - I kept the same Conti cheap rubber for a decade on it. Somehow it failed to eat it.
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I don’t think it will help much but if you have a spare fan, maybe try aiming it so it hits the rear tyre, or the unit itself.
Obviously aim the fan at yourself as the priority but some moving air over the tyre/unit might provide some cooling?
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I just use an old cheap tyre that came on a bike.
I think cheap tyres tend to have a harder rubber compound and will last longer.
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I have a Kickr SNAP and have gone through my last two Continental hometrainer tires faster than expected. The last one in less than two months with around 1,000 “miles”. I pump it up to 100 psi each time and do the two prescribed turns of the tension knob. One thing that has changed is my training volume and the duration of my long rides. I didn’t used to do but maybe 4 rides that went as long as two hours in a month, and now I’m up to about twice that many long rides and about a third of them are in the 3 - 4.5 hour range. I think I’ll try what @Pipipi suggested and put a small fan down there directed at the tire-roller contact point for the long rides, because I do wonder if the 3+ hr rides are causing heat to build up and break down the tires faster.
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