JSNYC

Just got a T2 road tandem and want to do some indoor riding. I have an older Elite trainer that has a lever-style locking mechanism, and the rear axle width is too much for that style of clamp. Need something that has more width capacity for a tandem rear axle.

Anyone have specific experience & recommendations? Much appreciated if so.

Thanks.

TobyGadd

We used an old Saris trainer briefly to help fit our T2. But I'm not sure that it's a good idea to use a tandem on a trainer for long periods. The forces and leverage are pretty different on a trainer than they are while riding on the road, and I'd worry about fatiguing the chain stays and dropouts. But maybe I'm just being paranoid. My wife and I ride single bikes on our trainers.

merlinextraligh

Riding on a trainer to me is at least purgatory.

on the back of a tandem on a trainer would certainly be hell.

spaltzer

I have ridden a tandem on rollers both solo and with a stoker. You can link two sets of rollers for one tandem. Having them on a mat or carpet would prevent the frames from moving around. Any brand rollers should work. The relay drum will need a groove on each side, or some other means of keeping it on track.
youtube DOT com/watch?v=v0jV35klMgo

JSNYC

to be clear, the trainer is to help my stoker and i practice the basics of pedaling, etc. she's 100% new to tandem riding and riding in general. i'm generally new to tandem riding, although have ridden them in the past (and have a lot of road riding experience). we will only be doing 10-15 minute sessions to practice here & there, given our schedules. hopefully most practice will be on road.

the only thing i need to solve for is trainer width, since most fluid/mag trainers are set up for max width of an mtb spacing..

again, looking for specific recommendations if ya got 'em. thank you.

Artmo 

A number of tandem riders I know, including ourselves, learned to ride on quiet roads, but never on a trainer..

spaltzer

I would think a wheel off trainer would work if not right out of the box, then with some spacing adapters. Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine allows for some wider spacing.
The Feedback Sports Omnium Over-Drive Trainer would need an extension between the fork stand and the sled, but that should work too.

TobyGadd

I've ridden rollers on my single bike for years--but there's no way that I'd ever put a tandem on them. Crazy! Even if we could pull it off for a few minutes, I'm pretty sure that we'd eventually crash--and I hate crashing on rollers (been awhile, but my memory is good). That said, you guys did it right--being able to reach the ceiling and wall is brilliant. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

spaltzer

Thanks for the Feed Back TobyGadd. If we did it again, I would try it with two TruTrainer rollers. The single flywheel was enough to keep things going and a second flywheel would make it even better (harder to start, but easier to maintain). I could also do a comparison between the parabolic shaped Crown Rollers, and the standard shaped rollers.

Cheers,
Steve