kroney

I'm going to buy a trainer tire because I don't have any old ones laying around.

I have 700c wheels with an internal width of 19mm. The charts that I've seen say that on the road it's safe to run 28mm to 42mm tires. The options for indoor tires are 23mm or 32mm. Would the 23mm tire be more efficient on the trainer than the 32mm? I imagine that the 23mm would be fine indoors since there's no handling involved.

peter_d

I'm pretty sure most people use 23 or 25mm trainer tires inflated to at least 100psi

bbbean 

For the trainer, go as narrow as you can and pump it up as hard as your tire and rim can take. I bet if you ask around your local shops or racers you know have some old slicks that are too worn for the road, but still have lots of trainer miles left in'em.

canklecat

On my Cycleops magnetic trainer (metal roller) I use Continental Ultra Sport II, the same tires I ride outdoors with. I've used 700x23, 700x25, folding and wire bead versions. No problems. That includes interval training with short bursts up to 160+rpm for 10-15 seconds. The tires show normal wear, no signs of failure.

And I mean I use the same tires -- not the same model -- on the same wheels, outdoors and on the Cycleops trainer. I planned to dedicate the 700x25 wire bead tire and one wheel to just the trainer, but it wasn't necessary.

FWIW, I weigh 150 lbs. I use the normal wheel tension per the Cycleops tutorial. Conti Ultra Sport II are slicks with some vestigial treadlike chevron shaped patterns on the shoulders that Conti claims helps with traction on wet roads. Dunno, I avoid cornering hard on wet roads. They're great tires on most pavement and outstanding values. Not the lightest and fastest rolling, but tough, not sluggish, and better than anything else that costs only $15 or so per tire.

No idea whether my experience would apply to regular rollers or plastic rollers.

Regarding wheel/tire sizing, the main influence is on handling. Not an issue on the trainer. As long as the tire is within the rim's generous fit range and won't blow off the rim, it should be fine.

jpescatore

I go by the guidelines that the trainer manufacturers give. That seems to be that if you are on 23mm tires, run 100-100 psi.

I run 32 mm on the bike in the trainer, and the Saris guideline for bigger tires is "When it comes to pounds per square inch (PSI) recommendations, we suggest inflating your tire to the low-to-mid range listed on the tire wall." After finally wearing out an old tire, I bought a Continental 32mm trainer tire that has an inflation range of 85 - 102 psi. I'm running them at 90, no slip, no wear.

qclabrat

go to the wanted section or local bike forums asking for free used tires.
Would either be a short drive or under $10 shipping for two folding tires.

blacknbluebikes 

why would one want to be highly efficient on a trainer?

jpescatore

Two reasons I care:

1. Inefficient from a tire perspective on an indoor trainer means a lot of rubber dust/mess.
2. Same reason I adjust my brakes on my bike if they rub on outdoor training rides. I like to correlate my heart rate and power output with speed and distance, not wear and tear!

freakylipsey

I really like them.

sdmc530

I use a 25 pumped up to 100 at least. then do the trainer calibration. That gets me the best accurate numbers on my Kinetic.

Handles my large butt doing intervals and sprints with no issue.

MinnMan

I use an old 23 mm Gatorskin pumped up to 100 psi. Seems to work fine, though after a couple of winters it's now got a huge flat contact patch. The tire was probably road-worthy when I started, except that I no longer like to ride outdoors with Gatorskins (I prefer Conti 4 seasons for my flat protection/performance compromise, but that's another story). Now I doubt it would be usable outside. I'll keep using it until I wear through it.

Has that happened to anybody on a trainer? i.e. wearing through an old tire to the point where it deflated during a workout? It would make for a surprising experience, I'd think.

bbbean 

I blew out an old road tire on the trainer a few winters ago. I was doing intervals, and a small tear in the tread allowed the tube to pooch just enough to blow. Sounded like someone shot a 22 in the living room. I laughed about it once my HR slowed down.

BB

MinnMan

Haha, I'm sure it was kind of a shock.

(The living room? I'm guessing you are an apartment dweller and also maybe a bachelor? There's no way my wife would let me set up a trainer in the living room. It stays in the basement. Fortunately, the basement is also generally 57-63 °F, and as we all know, cool is good. Though I still need a fan.)

canklecat

After an injury last year I mostly used the indoor trainer for a few months with the same Continental Ultra Sport II tires I rode outside. After awhile the rear tire developed that distinctive flat wear pattern.

But after a few rides outdoors on the same tire it evened out. Still plenty of wear on it judging from the wear indicator holes.

I prefer riding on Conti Grand Prix Classics, nice 700x25 skinwalls at a reasonable price, somewhere between the cost of Ultra Sport II and Grand Prix 4ks or 5k, but a nice compromise for chipseal and rough pavement. Durable too. I have 'em on the old Trek 5900. But I'm still using Ultra Sport II on the steel Centurion Ironman, both outdoors and on the indoor trainer.