I just set up my tri bike onto a trainer as I can only do aerobic workouts now since I twisted my knee. Going thru physical therapy soon and don't know what to expect. Anyway, the doc said it was a patellar subluxation and I scraped a small chunk of my cartilage during that injury. So, no "cranking" those high gears and I live in Seattle, so hills are a no bueno.
Anyway, I'm gonna be on the trainer for a while and i'm curious about the importance of having those tire pressures up to par. Normally, on the road for training, I'm at like 110psi (clincher wheels btw). Should I keep it at 110 psi? Will it make a difference since I'm only doing aerobic exercises?
Tire pressure is a personal preference, comfort, and rolling resistance issue. Higher pressure means less resistance and more speed. I'm about 190 pounds and run 90-100 pounds most of the time. I've competitively raced off and on for 35 years. The sub-110 is all about comfort more than speed.
110 is fine. 100 is fine. 90 is fine. 120 is probably fine too. It doesn't really matter on the trainer. It'll be fine even if you go anaerobic! if you see significant deflection when you tighten the roller to the tire so it doesn't slip, maybe pump it up a little more. If you can measure speed on the trainer and want to compare rides, keep the pressure in the tire and the pressure of the roller on the tire constant between rides. You're also gonna chew through tires on the trainer (well, quicker than on the road at least) so make sure you use an old one (no sense wearing out the new ones) or a real trainer tire (they last forever, slip a little less and are a little quiter in my experience).
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