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Dedicated Trainer FRONT Wheel

Old 08-18-20, 06:14 AM
  #1  
PoorInRichfield
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Question Dedicated Trainer FRONT Wheel

Come late Fall, my riding will switch to indoor riding on the Wahoo Kickr. Being the first year I've run my bike with tubeless tires, this adds a new twist to indoor riding in that tubeless tires don't like to be stationary. When a tubeless tire is stationary, the sealant pools in one spot and starts drying-out in that spot

As such, do any of you run a dedicated front wheel on your trainer? I.e., a wheel that is only used while your bike is on the trainer?

I'm considering trying to find an inexpensive front wheel and put a solid tire on it. That way, I won't have to maintain tire pressure or be concerned about tubeless sealant. The hard part of this idea will be to find a single front wheel with a thru-axle hub that doesn't cost much as it won't be much more than a prop to hold up the front of my bike!
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Old 08-18-20, 10:08 AM
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Just remove the sealant.

Pressure isn't really a big issue - pump it up every two weeks or so; you can pump it up higher than you would on the road and let it drop lower than you would on the road.
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Old 08-18-20, 10:20 AM
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Isn't the tubeless wheel going to sit anyway if you get another dedicated front wheel? Yeah pressure doesn't matter on the front as it's just supporting the front end.
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Old 08-20-20, 11:01 AM
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Lots of solid tires on amazon and ebay.

You might think about making a stand instead, basically a piece of plywood and a small post with a fork mount screwed to the top. You'd wanna measure your dropouts and make sure you buy the right one to fit your bike, they come in TA and QR varieties so watch out.
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Old 08-20-20, 11:09 AM
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Go to a bike coop and buy a cheap front wheel. You can probably find one with rubber on it. $20? Keep it by the trainer.

Oh, you probably have a thru-axle so it's not that simple. I'll go hide my head under that rock that was new when this dinosaur was hatched.
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Old 08-20-20, 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
Go to a bike coop and buy a cheap front wheel. You can probably find one with rubber on it. $20? Keep it by the trainer.

Oh, you probably have a thru-axle so it's not that simple. I'll go hide my head under that rock that was new when this dinosaur was hatched.
LOL! Yeah... thru-axle wheels haven't hit the used market in large quantities as of yet. I suppose I'll follow @WhyFi's advice of just draining the sealant from the tires and keep the front tubeless tire on the bike. It shouldn't go flat unless Wahoo introduces an indoor tire flattening device for Zwift
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Old 08-20-20, 01:13 PM
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Doesn't the sealant pool in your tires when they sit in the garage? If you're concerned about it, you could pick up the front by the bars and spin the front wheel by hand a couple of turns to spread out the sealant.
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Old 08-20-20, 01:32 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
Doesn't the sealant pool in your tires when they sit in the garage? If you're concerned about it, you could pick up the front by the bars and spin the front wheel by hand a couple of turns to spread out the sealant.
My road bike is pampered and lives in the house, not the garage

During "riding season" here in Wisconsin, the bike will only sit for a few days between rides, hence swishing the sealant around every few days. In Winter, it'll be on the trainer for months and months without moving, hence the risk of a big 'ol puddle of sealant drying in a single spot if it's not removed. I very well could just spin the front wheel before or after each indoor training session, but that sounds like work (and I'd likely forget.)
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Old 08-20-20, 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted by PoorInRichfield
LOL! Yeah... thru-axle wheels haven't hit the used market in large quantities as of yet. I suppose I'll follow @WhyFi's advice of just draining the sealant from the tires and keep the front tubeless tire on the bike. It shouldn't go flat unless Wahoo introduces an indoor tire flattening device for Zwift
If you don't already have a sealant syringe (and valve stems that can accommodate the syringe tube), get one. It makes filling and removing sealant trivial.
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Old 08-26-20, 04:43 PM
  #10  
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Just buy a Kickr Climb and be done with it. And a headwind. Cheapskate.
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Old 09-03-20, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by PoorInRichfield
My road bike is pampered and lives in the house, not the garage

During "riding season" here in Wisconsin, the bike will only sit for a few days between rides, hence swishing the sealant around every few days. In Winter, it'll be on the trainer for months and months without moving, hence the risk of a big 'ol puddle of sealant drying in a single spot if it's not removed. I very well could just spin the front wheel before or after each indoor training session, but that sounds like work (and I'd likely forget.)
If you replace your front wheel and remove the wheel with the tubeless tire and sealant, isn't it going to sit anyway? What's the difference if it sits on your bike or sits leaning up against the wall? If you are going to remove the sealant and let the wheel sit, why don't you just remove the sealant and keep it on your bike? I'm not sure what is being gained.
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Old 09-17-20, 06:31 AM
  #12  
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I purchased a much better tire sealant injector (on Amazon for $12) than the piece of junk Stans injector I had been using. The new injector has a little straw that will allow me to suck the sealant out of the tire w/o removing it, which is nice. So my plan for now is to simply remove as much sealant as possible in the winter months when the wheels won't be spinning. My assumption is that if I don't break the seal on my wheels, I shouldn't need any sealant resting in the tubes while my bike is on the trainer since Zwift hasn't invented "virtual nails in the tires" as of yet.

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Old 09-17-20, 07:47 AM
  #13  
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Yup, that's what I was talking about in post #9 . Do yourself a favor and confirm that it'll fit in your valve stems, though - many stems won't allow it to pass all the way through and it may take some work to find stems that'll accommodate; seems to be a 50/50 chance.
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Old 09-17-20, 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by PoorInRichfield
I purchased a much better tire sealant injector (on Amazon for $12) than the piece of junk Stans injector I had been using. The new injector has a little straw that will allow me to suck the sealant out of the tire w/o removing it, which is nice. So my plan for now is to simply remove as much sealant as possible in the winter months when the wheels won't be spinning. My assumption is that if I don't break the seal on my wheels, I shouldn't need any sealant resting in the tubes while my bike is on the trainer since Zwift hasn't invented "virtual nails in the tires" as of yet.

That would work perfectly with the "MILKIT valve stems".

I have them on one of my bikes. It allows you to remove the core while still having enough air in the tire to keep the bead solidly in place. In fact, I have removed the core with the tire having 70 psi in it and it held without losing air. Look it up and see how it works.
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Old 09-17-20, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
That would work perfectly with the "MILKIT valve stems".
Oh sure, now you tell me about these spiffy valve stems after I've already spent too much on a different brand MILKIT appears to have all sorts of spiffy tools for tubeless setups.

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Old 09-17-20, 07:56 AM
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Caloso is right. It'll pool no matter where you store it. I do what others say. I ride mostly road and TT right now. Weekly I top up my cross bike tires and give them a little spin by hand.

Nothing else is needed.
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Old 09-17-20, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
That would work perfectly with the "MILKIT valve stems".

I have them on one of my bikes. It allows you to remove the core while still having enough air in the tire to keep the bead solidly in place. In fact, I have removed the core with the tire having 70 psi in it and it held without losing air. Look it up and see how it works.
I've been interested in trying those. but I've been leery of the proprietary cores and some of the reviews (which I take with a grain of salt because people r dum). How long have you had them and what has your experience been so far? REI has had them on clearance, but only the shorties, which won't fit my rims, otherwise I'd have picked 'em up at the price.
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Old 09-17-20, 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
I've been leery of the proprietary cores
Could you clarify what you mean by, "proprietary cores"? The stems look pretty standard to me other than the valve at the bottom. I'm assuming the actual core (removable part of stem) is the same as any other Presta valve, no?
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Old 09-17-20, 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by PoorInRichfield
I'm assuming the actual core (removable part of stem) is the same as any other Presta valve, no?
No, they're proprietary. They're extended to get to/beyond the flappy bits.

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Old 09-17-20, 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
I've been interested in trying those. but I've been leery of the proprietary cores and some of the reviews (which I take with a grain of salt because people r dum). How long have you had them and what has your experience been so far? REI has had them on clearance, but only the shorties, which won't fit my rims, otherwise I'd have picked 'em up at the price.
I've had them about 6-8 months. No complaints really. There is another benefit to these and that has to do with seating a tubeless tire. Some people have a hell of a time getting a tire seated (I don't have the issue)….One method to get more air into the tire is to remove the core and blast air to seat the bead. These valves will have the added benefit of not losing that air and would help in the transition to the hand pump.

Of course the primary benefit is being able to retain enough air in the tire where the bead stays seated enabling you to work with the sealant very quickly.

One glitch I have experienced is not being able to pump my tires through the removable core. It may be my particular pump (because my buddy who also has these, has no problems pumping through the core)….or it may be that I am not tightening the core enough to where the "straw" breaks through the rubber flaps. I have been removing the core and just pumping through the stem. That's how I know it will hold over 70psi with the core out (I actually pump to 80psi).
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Old 09-17-20, 11:45 AM
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Actually, now that I think about it. I have one of those high capacity pumps that store air in a cylinder, then releases the air (blasts) into the tire. I am able to blast the air without removing the core...so it may be my other pump (that I use to top off tires) that is responsible for my "glitch" described above....that and my buddy has not experienced the same.
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Old 09-17-20, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
Of course the primary benefit is being able to retain enough air in the tire where the bead stays seated enabling you to work with the sealant very quickly.
This is my primary interest; on my old wheels, Reynolds Assaults, the beads stayed locked with any of the tires I'd tried, come hell or high water. With the new wheels and tires, hookless Zipps 303S/Schwalbe Pro One Addix, the beads sometimes pop off and back in to the center of the rim bed at very low/no pressure. This makes it a little more messy and wasteful (seating the beads with sealant in the tire and the inevitable bit of blow-out before snapping in to place).
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Old 09-17-20, 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
This is my primary interest; on my old wheels, Reynolds Assaults, the beads stayed locked with any of the tires I'd tried, come hell or high water. With the new wheels and tires, hookless Zipps 303S/Schwalbe Pro One Addix, the beads sometimes pop off and back in to the center of the rim bed at very low/no pressure. This makes it a little more messy and wasteful (seating the beads with sealant in the tire and the inevitable bit of blow-out before snapping in to place).
Yeah, this would alleviate that problem.
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Old 09-18-20, 08:29 AM
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I bought and used the Kom Cycling sealant injector pictured in PoorInRichfield’s posting (#12). Worked great with no mess whatsoever. Never thought of using it to remove the sealant when I attach the bike to my Wahoo Kickr Core trainer when the cold weather comes, but may give it a try.
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Old 09-18-20, 08:37 AM
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Originally Posted by oldwinger14
Never thought of using it to remove the sealant when I attach the bike to my Wahoo Kickr Core trainer when the cold weather comes, but may give it a try.
Removing it for trainer season is only one of the reasons that they're nice. More importantly, it allows you to measure how much sealant is left in your tires during scheduled maintenance checks (many punctures will go unnoticed so you may be running low without knowing it) and to check the consistency (once it's more like skim milk as opposed to half & half, it's not going to be as effective, so it's time to dump the old and put in some new).
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