Jynx

Just picked up my trainer and have been using it for a couple of days so far and just have a couple of questions.

1. What is this screw for? I am assuming it is to hold the spring straight so it doesn't curve around (in which case it didn't do that as you can see).



2. The black plastic piece that houses the metal resistance unit is loose and wiggles in the green frame. The resistance unit is tight to the black plastic piece but you can wiggle the whole thing in the frame. Also the black piece isn't perpendicular to the resistance unit although the resistance unit is perpendicular to the tire. I am assuming this is all normal as the trainer works fine but by looking at it, it looks to be "wrong". In the picture you can see what I mean.



3. How are you guys setting the correct tension on the tire. They said to rotate the tire a quarter turn and then reverse direction by hand and tighten it until there is no slipping/squeaks. I have been using it at 3 turns from just touching the tire. The tire is definately pushed in from the roller unit. What are most people running? If it is to little the tire slips. What are the damages that can be caused by to tight?

4. How tight are you tightening down on the skewer? I have been snugging it up pretty tight but I could easily go much tighter. I dont want to damage anything and I dont want the bike to fall out. I notice there is some play in the skewer collars nomatter how tight you make it when you get on/off since they are meant to rotate when tightened which I am assuming is normal.

5. When rotating I can hear fluid noise. Again I am assuming that is normal too.

I just want to make sure all of this is normal. I am assuming it is as it has been working great for the few times I have used it. Also the power chart they post has been within 2 watts of my powertap for those who are interested.

Thanks.

Brian Ratliff

1) Beats me. I think it's just to keep the spring in place. It does it's job if you think about it.

2) I think this is just all about tolerances. The guys who make the trainer, Kurt Manufacturing, are a contract manufacturer. They know all there is to know about tolerances, especially where tight tolerances are needed and when it just costs extra money for no benefit.

3) I usually set it at 4 turns with the tire at about 100psi. A good way of seeing if it is tight enough is to take the wheel and really jerk on it and see if the tire slips. If you are doing 2x20s, you can tolerate a little slip at high torque to save some tire wear.

4) I tighten down on the skewer as much as needed so the bike doesn't rock. Don't worry, it won't hurt anything. A pox on the myth that skewer tightness causes a significant compressive strain on the bearings. Really, how much strain are you really going to cause on an axle in compression? Think about it.

5) It's a fluid trainer, so the noise you are hearing is the fluid sloshing around inside the resistance unit.

soma5

I turn the knob two full turns just after the roller comes in contact with the tire. I don't do sudden accelerations/jumps on the trainer so it works very well for me with this tension. I also use an old 8-speed wheel and I've put an Ultegra 10-speed cassette on it. The weird screw bothered me at first but it doesn't seem to do anything except serve as a sort of spring retainer so I just eventually forgot about it. It is a very good trainer - I use is about once a week even though I really hate training indoors.

Beaker

Good thread - I just tried out my KK Road machine for the first time today and was wondering about skewer tightness as well.

Nachoman

Not sure about some of the issues, but I crank the knob about 2.5 turns after the roller hits the tire. I also crank the skewers pretty tight. But I don't use my good bike on the trainer. My good bike has some high end Salsa skewers that were custom sanded by Bill Holland, who made my titanium frame. I know that if you're not careful you can definitely scratch up your skewers.

f4rrest

1. safety: keeps the bent rod from coming all the way out... doesn't seem likely, but probably just in case.
2. that's normal.
3. follow instructions, depends on tire pressure.
4. I just guess and stop when the the trainer frame looks like it's bending a bit.
5. that's normal.

I've hardly had a chance to use mine. Of course, now that it finally rains here, I've got the flu.

jrobe

I tighten the resistance unit till it just touches the tire and then 2 1/4 turn more and it has worked perfectly for several years.

I crank down pretty hard of the skewer. I need to be able to stand up and sprint so I want it locked down tight. You won't hurt anything.

The best advice though of all is to get some training DVD's (Spinervals or CTS). They make all the difference in the world. I really enjoy doing a structured workout like these DVD's. The trainer would be torture for me without them.

Jynx

thanks for all the replies. i just wanted to make sure it was all normal while it was new so i didnt wear something out prematurely due to setup.

Definately. As of now I have 9 DVD's and plan to pick up some more.