Suitable Turbo Trainer

jph100

hi

im looking to buy a turbo trainer. now the bike i have has thickish wheels,they might be mountain bike wheels but not too sure. they are definitely not the very thin wheels that most of you guys probably use anyway. does it matter what the wheels are like or are all turbo trainers compatible with all types of wheels?

also, should i buy the turbo trainer somewhere her in dublin where i can go in and ask for info or should i buy one online from one of the british websites in other threads?

thanks in advance

Home:Ballyhoura

Hi, most turbo trainers would fit a range of wheel sizes, but not all! I got my first trainer for Christmas a Tacx Satori on CRC. I got it for €150 (was €160 when I first looked at it, and it dropped to €140 in the following weeks due to the exchance rate!) I cannot compare to anything, but to me this is a top class trainer for a good price (all the pro-tour teams use it, so I can't complain). It come with 2 attatchment for racing/road and MTB...etc. Very simple to set up, and I would definitely get it online, a fraction of the price of shops here in Ireland! (Going for €212 in a sale here. imagine the price in your LBS!)

If you wanted, you could start off on something a bit cheaper like this for only €64 on sale. Will fit all wheels sizes also, what a bargain! I cannot comment on its performane though (note: no resistance adjustment, but you can use your gears to adjust this to start off!)

You could treat yourself to this for €250. This has all the computer features if that is wht you are looking for!

CycleOps is another big brand, but Tacx is probably the most well known!
Good luck, I hope this helps you in some way!

jph100

hi.

thanks that was very helpful

that tacx satori you recommended looks good. its out of stock at the mo but ill keep an eye on when it will be back in stock.

so its working well for you+it should fit a biggish wheel?

thanks

Home:Ballyhoura

Yes, it should fit! Here is a picture of the 2 attatchments. I would reccomend getting a fairly slick tyre, hard compound to reduce noise, slippage and wear!

Home:Ballyhoura

Sorry, here it is! Forgot it in the last post

niceonetom

most turbos can be set up to work with 26" wheels (my tacx did). the width of the tyre shouldn't be an issue either (unless you're running something very peculiar). knobbly tyres will probably be pretty noisy though.

i would suggest using a different wheel and tyre on the turbo (if you have an old one lying around). i've found that long sessions on the turbo can be pretty hard on the tyre and you'd be surprised at how hot they can get. this seems to make the surface of the tyre go hard and shiny, which is precisely what you don't want when you take your bike of the trainer and out onto some frosty morning tarmac (i know whereof i speak!).

special tyres for trainers do exist but not for 26" wheels (as far as i know).

Home:Ballyhoura

niceonetom wrote: »

special tyres for trainers do exist but not for 26" wheels (as far as i know).

Yes they do: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31153
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=18806

And the cheapest place to get them is here: http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y2002

Please note that CRC have raised the price of the Satori up to €181 !!! It was €140 a week or two ago! It also went up on Wiggle.
I've noticed a few things I was looking at have gone up on different UK websites, I wonder why?

Gavin

Costs more for them to import it now with the weak sterling. Most things will go up !

boomdocker

i have the Tacx Sirius Gel

its great - mainly because Tacx have a great (varied) set of training sessions designed for it:

http://www.tacx.com/beleef+tacx.php?language=EN&lvlMain=18&lvlSub=46&lvlSubSub=75&ttop=Cycletrainers

there is, in my view, no point in using a turbo if you are just going to hop up and pedal - you will be bored brainless in 5 mins. the tacx programs are great in this regard

Ryder

Have the Tacx Sirius as well. Very happy with it. The frame flexes a little as you peddle so make it a bit more realistic. Great for doing short sharp intervals. This may reflect badly on me but havent found LSD too bad on it either. Did an hour today at level 2 with a dvd. Great investment.

Home:Ballyhoura

boomdocker wrote: »

the tacx programs are great

Hi, do you mind me asking what Tacx program you used? I have a satori and I find it very difficult to motivate myself on it! Thanks in advance

boomdocker

i use a mix of the endurance, interval and recovery workouts.

the endurance ones are the best for me, usually last 45 mins - 1 hr

the intervals are tough (as they are supposed to be) puke inducing workouts

the recovery sessions are mainly high speed spinning sessions

you will need a cadence sensor to get the best from them as a lot of the workouts are based around rpm's. also cassette something like 12-27/25 seems good

the endurance workouts would be a good starting point i would say

Home:Ballyhoura

boomdocker wrote: »

you will need a cadence sensor to get the best from them as a lot of the workouts are based around rpm's. also cassette something like 12-27/25 seems good

I have all of the above (well the Polar CS200 CAD HRM and Cadence
is in the post!) One question I have is how do you do a certain speed on a trainer (the rear wheel spins and the speed sensor is on the front wheel) ? Thanks for your help in advance! Cheers

boomdocker

mmmm.....put the sensor on the rear wheel.....

Home:Ballyhoura

boomdocker wrote: »

mmmm.....put the sensor on the rear wheel.....

Ya, well on the Polar website (see here), it says that the signal is not strong enough to reach the rear wheel. Can I ask what computer you use on the trainer?

boomdocker

Garmin Edge 305 with cadence sensor