Road85rebel

I am wondering if its really necessary to have a designated training tire for an indoor trainer. I use a kinetic fluid trainer for my off season rides. I typically use the same tire I ride on during the season. I recognize there are some benefits but is this just another example of manufacturers trying to sell more products for minimal returns to the rider. I have never noticed excess wear on my rear tire resulting in the need to replace it any sooner than I would under outdoor riding conditions. Interested in the opinions from the community. (for reference I ride about an hour/day, 5x/wk)

spelger

the short answer is no. my opinion is that there is not enough wear to make a difference in tire life, sound, or mess. also, when i did wheel on training i used an old tire but it doesn't really matter.

Road85rebel

Appreciate your input. That's been my position as well. Thanks

tempocyclist

I've used an "indoor trainer tyre" and also old Conti GP4000 tyres. Noticed no difference in noise or mess.

Road85rebel

Appreciate your response. I will continue to do the same....use my older road tires for my indoor training needs. Thanks for your input.

Black wallnut 

I have used a number of different tires over the years on my trainer. Older road tires that were take-off, you know the ones that you swap out because a major ride is coming up and you want to eliminate possible problems, Plus a few purpose bought cheap, to really cheap tires from both LBS and BikeTiresDirect. Until a couple of years ago when a cheap tire was too soft for trainer. I have found that Continental Gatorskin Black are excessively noisy on a trainer, the only one other than CX or MTB tires that has been so for me.

Road85rebel

Thanks for your information. My approach has been the same ....use older road tires for my trainer. I was able to pick up a used set of wheels with the rear having one of these "training" tires already mounted. I have not noticed any significant difference, but figured input from this forum would prove beneficial. It has. Thanks for your comments.

RoverInAz

I have not bothered with trainer tyres but just used old road tyres. They do give off rubber dust in my view, but i can live with that.
best option is to upgrade to direct drive trainer though, or staionary bike for improved power accuracy and saving on maintenence etc if your finances allow it

Road85rebel

Thought about getting a stationary trainer for the reason you listed. Maybe the secondary market will offer a few options. As for now, will continue to use older road tires to get my mileage in. Appreciate your thoughts.