laparks

I live in Minnesota where we have appreciable snow from December - March and sometimes as early as November and into April. I recently bought an used Kinetic Fluid trainer because I am not going to Lifetime Spinning classes this winter.

I will put my road bike on the trainer. My question relates to what rear tire should I use on the trainer. Currently I have Continental Gatorskin (700 x 22) with around 5000 road and asphalt trail miles. I weigh 210 pounds and inflate the tires to 100 psi.

Q1: What is the useful life of these tires, in miles or months of usage?

Q2: Should I use this tire on the trainer this winter and then replace the tires in the spring?

Q3: What pressure should I use in the rear tire when it is on the trainer.

Thanks in advance.

surak

I have the same trainer. I think the general advice is to pump up the tire to close to max PSI, consistently, so it isn't as noisy and doesn't wear out as quickly. Sometimes the heat from friction can destroy a tire or burst the inner tube - this has happened to people I know.

If the Gatorskin gets a lot of indoor use, I would definitely think of replacing it before resuming outdoor riding. You can also switch to a dedicated trainer tire. I usually see them on Craigslist go for cheap.

jpescatore

I've been using a Wahoo Kickr SNAP wheel-on trainer for almost 4 years now. Wahoos recommendation for narrow tires like yours is 100 - 110 PSI, tire manufacturer recommendation for larger sizes.

I started out just using my road tires that were due to be replaced anyway but they shed a lot of rubber pretty quickly - made a mess and needed to be replaced. Someplace had Continental trainer tires on sale - I bought one and am now have about 3000 trainer miles on them - no mess and they are hanging in there, definitely showing wear.

I'm using my 25 year old Trek 520 touring bike on the trainer, I'm not really using it outdoors anymore. On that bike on the road I use treaded tires - wouldn't use those on the trainer but they will wear faster on the trainer.

nomadmax 

My "trainer tires/tubes" (x2 as I use rollers) are all cast offs from the season that I wouldn't trust on a descent or a high speed corner. No need to buy something specific in my book.

Drew Eckhardt 

A long time. I got 4500 rear miles out of mine, moving front to rear when the rear wears out and installing a new tire up front (9000 miles per tire).

You probably don't have the patience to wear one out on your trainer.

Normal pressure.

caloso

I have the exact same trainer. Great bang for the buck, by the way. If you didn't get the InRide sensor, I'd recommend it. Excellent and cheap way to get into Zwift/TrainerRoad/etc.

I've never bought a trainer specific tire. Like a lot of others, I just use an old tire that still holds air but isn't totally trustworthy on the road. I think what I have on now is an ancient Vredstein 23mm tire. I just pump it up to 95, as if I were riding it on the street. Check it occasionally to keep it consistent. I'll also back off the roller knob in between sessions.

laparks

Thank you everyone for your insight and advice. Larry

MinnMan

I am also in Minnesota (not relevant really), use a Kurt Kinetic trainer, and use gatorskins for my trainer tires. They last a long time on the trainer and I've never had one burst. The tires last a long time on the trainer - usually a whole winter - but once they've been on the trainer for a whille, they're not really suitable for outside use, as their profile wears flat. If you want consistent performance from the trainer, always pump up the tire to the same psi. I use 100 psi for 25 mm tires.