SparkyCanada

Hi there.

What do most road cyclists do regarding indoor trainers when the weather is not cooperating?

Do people use the same bike on their indoor trainer or do you have a separate bike for the trainer?

Wondering if people are constantly hauling their road bike indoors - removing the back wheel (for trainers that require this) and mounting it on the trainer for a day or 2 - then putting the tire back on when the weather is nice...?

During the winter I use my hybrid bike with studded tires for the snow - so when the snow falls - it's not an issue - I place my road bike on the trainer and there it stays until the roads are clear...

Thanks,

SparkyCanada

colnago62

I have a trainer bike. It was put together with used parts that I had lying around. Using your regular bike is probably fine, but this cost me like under $100 to do.

Leinster

This winter I've been using my main bike, for a few different reasons. Not least of which is that I don't get out on the road much, so it's about the only chance I get to actually ride it. If/when I complete the build I've been planning on it, I'll have enough parts over to put a trainer bike together.

WhyFi

Different bike. My main road bike gets used on the trainer and the gravel bike gets used outside.

For me, swapping out the rear wheel (to one with a trainer tire) isn't the problem, it's cleaning the bike after rides and doing so well enough that I'm not dropping road grit in the house.

travelerman

Main road bike (Pinarello) stays ready to ride outside... older road bike (Giant Defy) is a dedicated trainer bike; I use a different rear tire for interfacing with the roller than I would while riding on the road (plus, I just don't like the idea of the better bike hooked up to the torture rack).

jpescatore

When I first got my Wahoo Kickr SNAP smart trainer and Zwiitf, I was using my main road bike. Too annoying to carry it up and down the stairs to the basement and put on/off on the days in the winter when I could actually ride, so for the past two years I've left my old touring bike (Trek 520) down there and it works great (would not work on a wheel off trainer, as it only has a 7 speed rear cassette).

I have similar (not identical seats) on both bikes and have the same seat to axle/seat to bars distances to make the position as close to identical as possible.

The other benefit of some old bike dedicated to the trainer is that you can use worn out tires, or put on a dedicated trainer tire - which is what I did after I wore out the worn out tire and didn't like the mess o' rubber on the floor.

datlas 

I think most of us who have more than one road bike will put the older/beater bike on the trainer.

That's what I do. But nothing wrong with putting your best bike on the trainer, as long as you are careful.

JasonD67

For many years I only had one bike. I would schlep it in and out off the trainer during the cold months, depending on the weather. It was a PITA. When I bought a new bike last year I kept the old bike on the trainer full time. Definitely the way to go.

Athens80

You've already got a good setup, but FYI, you can use a 7 speed cassette on an 11 speed wheel or direct-drive trainer. You just need a bigger cassette spacer with a little divot filed out of it to accommodate the rivet on the back of the cassette.

topflightpro

For a long time, I hauled my bike in, over the baby gates at the bottom of the stairs, and up to guest bedroom to ride on the trainer.

Now, I have multiple bikes, so I have my back up bike on the trainer all the time. (I also moved the trainers to the garage when I had cable installed so I could watch TV out there.)

horatio 

If you only have one bike, the options are limited. I think a lot of us have several from which to choose. Great argument for N+1.

MoAlpha

I use my beautiful early 80s custom, Peter Mooney, steel frame, immaculate NOS 7800 group, and Ksyrium Elites on the trainer because my soulless, plastic, R3 is so much more fun to ride for real.

I do protect it carefully from sweat, though.

MattTheHat 

It takes like 1 minute to put my bike on the trainer and even less to take it off. So I just use the one bike.

jadocs

I use a different bike. If you can’t use a different bike make sure to use a sweat shield. Sweat can cause a lot of damage and get into places you would not think was possible. This is my bike that I use on my rollers. You can make sweat shields out of old towels that are more effective than the skinny ones you buy online.

Dan333SP

+1 for protecting from sweat. My rear brake was behaving poorly recently, realized that the (externally routed) brake cable was badly rusted and gunked up from sweat dripping onto the top tube and then down into the cabling while on the trainer.

To answer OP, I only have 1 bike so it's ridden on on the trainer and outside. I do use an older rear wheel for the trainer with a junk tire on it so I don't have to change the skewer or worry about tire wear. Swapping takes 30 seconds.

Bah Humbug

In winter, TT bike is on the trainer and the roadie is the only one that goes outside. In summer it may be TT everywhere, or roadie on the trainer if I only ride it once in a week.

If I had caught the Quarq sale at CC I might have rehabbed the old bike into a trainer rat in the TT position.

swag72

I have a different bike on my trainer and then my Road bike.... There's no way I'd want to put my road bike on the trainer!

Cypress

I use rollers for Zwifting, so same bike. The only difference is the pressure I run in my tires, as the rollers like hard tires. It's nice to be able to take advantage of weather windows without having to futz with wheel changes or moving power meters around. Added bonus of familiarity with the bike I've been logging indoor miles with.

If cabin fever gets too bad due to weather, I grab the fendered gravel bike and dress for rain. An occasional rain ride will make a guy appreciate the warmth and accessibility of indoor rides a little more.

kcblair

I have 7 bikes, one is dedicated to the trainer, the others are ready to ride . Once the weather has broke , the trainer bike comes off, and the trainer gets stored away, till next winter. KB.

colombo357

Every time I buy a new bike, I buy two. One for the road, one for the trainer.

It costs more that way, but hey, money ain't a thang.

OBoile

Yes. This is what I do.

canklecat

I mostly use my '89 Ironman steelie on the Cycleops trainer. And I ride that bike outside using the same wheels and tires. Continental Ultra Sport II have worked fine for me on both, no unusual or premature wear. I have an extra wheelset and identical 7-speed freewheel setup, but haven't needed to swap wheels and tires between the trainer and outdoor rides.

Mostly I ride that bike for more relaxed pace or longer rides because it's comfortable. But I'm also using it with clip on aero bars to see if I can adapt to the position. Kinda uncomfortable.

For the past year I've mostly ridden an older '93 Trek 5900 outdoors. I used it on the indoor trainer a few times, mostly to check adjustments before heading outside.

mstateglfr 

One of my less used road bikes sits on the trainer during the 5 cold months.
No interest in putting the wear on my favorite road bike.

Top tube and down tube have pipe insulation covering them to eliminate the sweat issue.

jpescatore

Thanks, I'll look into that - I had early on asked Wahoo support and their answer was no - maybe the divot filing is the secret...

zacster

I use my regular road bike on my Kickr Core trainer. I can swap the wheel off and on in under 15 seconds. My old wheel on trainer was actually harder because you had to get the tension right, the hub release was a PITA and I always had to adjust something.