Should I Get a Special Tyre For My Turbo Trainer?
If you have been looking into getting a turbo trainer for your bike then you are probably wondering whether you really need to invest in a special turbo trainer tyre or if you can get away with your normal one.
The answer to that is – it depends on your fitness level and preference, but for most riders, a cheap spare road tyre should also do the job just fine. You do, however, need to change the tyre you are using, as trying to use a trainer with knobbly tyres is going to be very uncomfortable and noisy, and they will wear down quickly after a short amount of time.
So to make the decision easier for you, we have listed out why you need a new tyre for your trainer, which types of riders suit different tyres and reasons you might want to get a special trainer tyre for your bike, so you can have all the knowledge you need to figure out whether a special trainer tyre is worth it or not for your bike.
Why Do You Need To Change Your Tyre For a Turbo Trainer Tyre?
One of the first questions you are probably asking yourself when figuring out what tyres you need for your new trainer is, why can’t I just use the tyre which is on my bike already?
Well, you can use your original bike tyre if you want, but you are likely to wear down that tyre very quickly and have a noisy plus uncomfortable ride on your bike the whole time you cycle.
The reason your tyres will wear down so quickly on a turbo trainer is due to the constant heat and friction, this friction is the same when using your bike out on the road, except it gets cooled by the outer air passing, so not as much wear happens in comparison to a trainer. No matter what, even if you don’t go for a special trainer tyre, you should use a different cheaper and smoother tyre to the one which is on your bike currently, otherwise you will ruin the only tyre you have very quickly.
What Factors Should I Consider Before Buying a Trainer Tyre?
Before you run to the shop or order a new special training tyre online, you should consider whether or not you need one, as the type of rider you are can affect what tyre you need for your bike.
We have listed a few factors out below which are worth considering if your on the edge about whether you need a special trainer tyre or not.
- The type of rider you are – One of the first factors to take into account before deciding whether you need a trainer tyre or not is whether your an experienced rider or a beginner, your level of fitness will determine how much heat you are expected to produce on the bike, therefore determining whether you need a special tyre or not that can support intense cycling.
- What training you do – You should also consider whether you are planning to do long-distance riding on your turbo trainer or small spin sessions, each type of cycling will build up heat in different ways on your tyre and the more intense, the more well-built your tyre needs to be.
- The type of tyre you have already – If you already have a slick road tyre, then this might be fine to use on your turbo trainer providing you are not going to be doing advanced and intense sessions on your bike. However, if you have large off-road terrain tyres for a mountain bike, this will be unsuitable to use and produce too much vibration when cycling due to the tread pattern.
Overall, if you have already expensive tyres on your bike and you don’t want to risk wearing them down with your turbo trainer you should consider getting some cheap road tyres for your turbo trainer, but if you are an advanced rider and want to be cycling with your trainer for long periods, it could be better for you to invest in a special trainer tyre instead.
Reasons For Getting a Special Turbo Trainer Tyre
Even though you might think you can get away with a cheap road bike tyre on your trainer, there is a couple of other reasons which are worth contemplating before disregarding a special trainer tyre.
- They reduce noise – Using an indoor turbo trainer is by no means quiet, and using the wrong kind of tyre can increase this noise, so buying a special trainer tyre would reduce the noise you hear from your trainer greatly.
- You already have a mountain bike tyre – In this case, you don’t even have the option of using your road bike tyre, so investing in a special turbo trainer tyre would do you no harm and allow you to have a more pleasurable experience on your bike.
- Reduce vibrations – If your not a fan of your bike vibrating while you ride then getting a trainer tyre would be the best answer for you as they reduce vibrations as well as noise.
- They last longer than a road bike tyre – These special tyres can last nearly two times longer than regular road bike tyres as they are meat to be able to handle a lot of wear down and friction from the trainer.
- You want to protect your original tyre – Using your original road tyre from your bike will inevitably cause it to have more wear, so if you want to protect and save it for outdoor riding, a special trainer tyre would be worth the investment.
- They give more accurate smart data – A special tyre for your trainer can help to give more accurate data if you have a smart trainer than it would if you were using a random spare road bike tyre.
- Helps avoid slipping – These tyres can help avoid any slip accidents when you are sprinting on your bike during a training session.
Should I Get a Spare Wheel For My Special Trainer Tyre?
If you’ve decided to invest in a special tyre to use with your bike on your turbo trainer then you are probably also keen to get a spare wheel, as this can make it easy to swap between the two tyres when using your bike for indoor and outdoor cycling.
To use your bike with two sets of tyres you will either have to swap them out every time you want to take your bike out from the trainer, get a spare wheel that makes it easy or get a whole new second bike.
However, there are a couple of factors to make sure of before picking your spare wheel for your turbo trainer, for example, you need to ensure you are using the same cassette type for your bike, as well as the same gears, if not you may be at risk for more wear and noise and a chance for the chain to jump out of your gears.
Frequently Asked Questions About Using a Special Tyre For Your Turbo Trainer
Can an indoor turbo trainer potentially damage my bike?
No, an indoor trainer should not cause any damage to your bike, just make sure you do not overtighten it and it is attached properly to the trainer, the only part of your bike the trainer can damage is the tyres, so avoid using your expensive original ones.
Is it possible for roller trainers to wear out my bike’s tyres?
The rollers on these trainers may cause slight wear to your tyres but nothing in comparison to the other types of trainers such as fluid ones.
How much do special turbo trainer tyres tend to cost?
These tyres can cost anything from £30 – £100 depending on the model and quality of the tyres you go for, this will work out cheaper than buying road bike tyres again and again for your bike after they get worn down.
Last Words
Overall, to conclude our article, you don’t have to use special tyres for your turbo trainer, but they could work out to be more cost-effective in the long run than using road bike tyres, especially if you are an advanced rider who plans to cycle for long sessions on their bike more than three times a week.
Always avoid using your bikes original and expensive tyres on a turbo trainer, as this will wear them down quickly and leave you with worn-down tyres to use on the road after the winter!