brawlo

As I said above and found out first hand, get something good. It seems you found something worse than what I found! See how you go. Those trainer tyres reportedly grip better than standard road tyres, and the grip on the roller will also have something to do with how you put your power down. If you slip, buy 3M tape. Tried and tested and abused by me

gycho77

I did got a good tape, but it's not good for trainer.
If I have a problem with my trainer with the indoor tire, I would definitely buy 3m tape
Thanks

carleton

To be honest, I never used any tape on my Kurt trainer. I just used a Conti trainer tire and put alcohol on it. When the trainer tire is warm and dust-free, it's very grippy.

The Conti trainer tires are good. Using a Cateye CS1000, I hit 2,000W multiple times. I couldn't do that much on the Kurt because the resistance was too low.

The key is to heat the tire up before your big effort. Like spin it up a bit then do your effort.

jfiveeight

Did you have the "pro flywheel" on the Kurt? Their site states that the road machine will support up to 3,000 watts.

https://kurtkinetic.com/products/pro-flywheel/

Unfortunately, the Kickr doesn't let me use my track bike... Looks like it will be going to a new home soon.

queerpunk

yeah you can just take the bottle out of your cage and squirt some on the tire.

carleton

I seriously doubt that 3,000W claim.

Yes, I had the pro flywheel. I also had a Kurt Mag trainer, too.

The setup that I ended up with was buying a used Cycleops Spin bike with a 50lb fixed gear flywheel and custom handlebar mounts. Cost me 1/6 of the cost of a Wattbike.

gycho77

Thanks
I tried the trainer without using grip tape today and I had no problems with slipping.
Anyway I always do 5 mins warm up before I do a big effort, so warming up the tire is not a problem.

Instead of buying a cycleops spin bike, I would rather order a custom made flywheel like 60lbs haha
Not sure if it's going to work on Kinetic Fluid Road Machine

carleton

I got it used for $400. Plus the bike is HEAVY and solid as a rock. Great for standing starts. It doesn't budge. It's a gym quality spin bike.

seau grateau

Anyone else have problems with heartburn during or after hard efforts on the track? I'm thinking I should start carrying some Tums in my bag, because my stomach has been starting to burn lately when I really push myself.

rensho3

Seau,


Most of us I suspect carry Tums just for that reason. However, if you are older than 45, you might want to also see a cardiologist to make sure it isn't something a little more important. I have had more than one friend (myself included) who had, even though they were fit and strong, need a little plumbing done to prevent the kind of pain you are describing. Of course, if you are in your 20's, the probabilities are on your side that it's only a belly ache. It's called "heart burn" for a reason.

carleton

I've had heartburn off and on for decades. I've experimented with several solutions. The most consistent is the low-carb diet.

I'm not suggesting that you (seau) should go to a low-carb diet. I'm just saying that carbs seemed to be at the root of my heartburn and when I was on a systematically low-car diet (for weeks) or simply for the day, I did not have heart burn. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

I also found that certain items instantly triggered very harsh heart burn. Namely some yellowish store-made breads. The kind of bread that a nicer grocery store would make in-house. I think there may be a certain ingredient (that coincidentally turns it more yellow) that triggers really really bad heartburn in me.

So, I'm saying that your problem may be in your diet.

seau grateau

Thanks! Yeah, I'm 29 so I'm not really worried about it. Just an annoyance. At this training session I've been attending we do sprint workouts early and they get my stomach burning pretty quick on some nights.

Re: diet, that could be the case. I've had problems with certain breads before. I'll look at maybe changing things up.

carleton

Maybe shy away from starchy carbs before sprint workouts.

Also, if you do take an antacid, consider normal (not fruity) Tums. It has calcium and magnesium, which help with cramping. It's an old roadie trick to carry Tums on a road ride and the injection of calcium mitigates cramping deep into a ride.

Also, in my years of taking antacids, the fruity stuff is 2-steps forward, 1 step back. The sugar in the flavoring sort of exacerbate the heartburn a bit. So, I go for the white, chalky stuff. Also, a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda followed by water helps a lot. But, understand that it's a big dose of sodium, too.

seau grateau

Good stuff! Yeah, I generally avoid anything with artificial fruity flavors and the sugar bit makes sense. I don't really even like putting Gatorade mix in my water anymore for the same reason.

700wheel

Check with your RD/RDN; I've found them to be really helpful on foods and their effects on the body.

brawlo

I find spicy foods do that to me. Lactose foods/drinks can also do it too. I love spicy food, especially Thai, but if I've got a solid workout planned, then it is on the no go list. Even mild spiced foods if I eat them at lunch time, come back to haunt me when I'm working hard in the evening.

houleskis

Small Track Related Question: Just got new tires to replace the garbage that came with my bike. How does one go about scrubbing tires in? I've read to sand it down slightly to get rid of some of the surface compounds which are slippery then clean with some white vinegar. What grit are we talking about with the sand paper? I'm guessing it needs something in the 240+ range?

For reference, I will mainly be riding the track in Milton Ontario (250m wood) and the tires are Conti GP4000s II clinchers.

Thanks!

taras0000

Everyone has their way, and you'r about to get 10 different opinions on this.

I've always started by wiping the tire down with an alcohol soaked rag, followed by the sandpaper scrub. Grit doesn't really matter too much. Follow up with wiping the tire down with a DRY rag to remove most of the dust, then again with the alcohol soaked rag to do a finish clean up. You can repeat the process if you like.

I also kept alcohol wipes in my tool kit as well. Good for first aid, but really good for wiping tires down when you first get to the track.

carleton

I've also used alcohol when riding on wooden tracks. But, my tires were broken in by then riding at my home cement track.

I think alcohol is all you need, assuming that the tires are reasonably new and fresh. I've seen people use old, dried up tires on cement tracks and slip. You'll know if they are old and dried up, though. They will feel plastic-y and hard.

taras0000

You can check for "too old" tires by deflating them and pinching the casing together from the sides. If you see deep cracks in the rubber it's time to replace. Tires develop small lines that look like cracks when they are exposed to lateral stresses (this comes from hard cornering on the road, or riding on steep banks). If these are just on the surface (the pinch test will highlight this), then they are still OK. If they are deep, chuck the tire or make a belt out of it.

Older tires develop deep cracks that happen because the the oils in the rubber has dried out. Like carleton mentioned, they will become hard and plastic-y. The rubber on the surface is hard and brittle. It will chip and flake under stress and cause a loss of traction. As tires are used, they flex, smudge, and move around. This tire massage keeps the oils in the rubber moving. A 5 year old tire that was used only a few 5-10 times a year is better than a brand new one that has sat for 5 years unused. The 5 year old NOS tire will have almost half of the rubber dried out on the surface, yet the used tire will have better integrity throughout the rubber thickness.

In the old days, they used to "age" tubulars for a season before using them. Aging to improve the tire is a myth. This only hardens the rubber and makes it more brittle. The tires is best when it is freshest (unless the rubber is crap and too soft). What aging did was dry out the surface layer as well as the mold release agent. This sacrificed the outer layer along with the release agent, exposing fresh, clean rubber underneath. This is the reason that "aging" worked.

Velocirapture

Reflux (of the gastroesophogeal nature, to be pedantic, since there are other types of reflux ) - aka heartburn - is a recognized side-effect of strenuous exercise. Although, of course, not for everyone. So as you've also seen from the responses, you are not alone. If you don't usually suffer from reflux, which is what it sounds like, your diet might not be the main culprit. Don't rule it out though.

How much time do you leave between eating and training? Personally I don't experience reflux as a matter of course unless I've spent a few days eating particularly rich foods. If i eat and then train at high intensity less than about 3h later, though, I'll probably get reflux regardless of what i've eaten. If i've been eating 'badly' (lots of rich foods/ too many big meals) its far more likely that i'll experience reflux, and at lower intensities than usual. So give that some thought.

From personal experience, drinking too much water between efforts can also be a factor, aside from the eating.

All that said, carrying some tums in your track bag is not a bad idea, even if it just helps a buddy

seau grateau

Thanks! I've been making some changes over the past couple weeks that seem to be helping, like watching what I eat on workout days and avoiding eating three hours before sessions. Those two things and Tums have been a big help. Part of it is also probably not being used to this kind of intensity. I'd do a little sprinting once in a while on my road rides before, but I never sprinted like trackies sprint.

Velocirapture

good luck.
On my very first intro session to track cycling, the coach joked that all the rubbish bins around the outside of the track (there are quite a lot at ours), were for 'just encase' after big efforts! ive actually seen them used once or twice for that, although fortunately our bathrooms are a quick dash from where you can roll onto the track

seau grateau

Hahaha, at the training sessions I go to, over the rail at the top of turn 3 is the designated puke spot. The trash cans get it once in a while as well.

carleton

DLV has a whole stream to puke into (seriously)