tetonrider

here's why it matters for me:
for TTs, i prefer to warm-up exclusively on the trainer (though i have done it on roads when I can't travel with a trainer--my warm-up is definitely a bit more scattered in those cases).

i'm usually running a tubular setup with a TT-oriented tire. that means the tire is designed to roll fast at the expense of longevity. the trainer I have with a metal drum is good for many reasons but does start wearing away at the tire right away when tension is applied--if i clean the drum and go for a ride i can see the evidence. i don't care at all about that for indoor training or for most tires, but when a tire is already thin to begin with and when i'd prefer to get a full season out of said tire and re-glue in the off-season when i have more time it matters a bit more.

if i'm noodling on the trainer this also wouldn't make a difference, but i'm generally doing a short-but-focused warm-up where i run through all my zones and put some power down on the trainer.

with the trainer that have a soft contact roller, tire wear is a non-issue even with a thin tire, at least for that season. the seasons before i made the switch i either swapped wheels or wound up having to deal with the extra wear and possibly glue a new tire mid-season. that's not a huge deal, but sometimes it comes at an awkward time. for me, gluing a tire one-off is nearly the same time/effort as gluing 6 new ones.

shovelhd

The KK has a smooth metal roller, not textured. At least mine does. I also don't use TT oriented tubulars. Maybe that's the difference. I see no evidence of shredding when I do my structured warmups on the trainer. I do use a trainer tire on a trainer wheel for scheduled indoor workouts. It not only lasts forever it slips less than my road clincher training wheels.

tetonrider

roller texture isn't an issue. with a metal roller one may notice discoloration.....that's either the tire wearing away or the miles and miles of rolling causing the finish on the roller to wear away a bit. either way, it is causing wear on the tire -- not "shredding".

for the pre-race warm-ups, i prefer a roller with lower durometer...which is a bit more gentle on a tire. fully admit that this is more an issue with a 185g TT tire than it is with any other normal tire.

the trainer tires are awesome (use them for my indoor training) as they generally have thicker treads (wear is less an issue) and are more quiet. that slippage you described with your road clincher training wheels is what concerns me in my setups. a dedicated trainer tire has a more consistent surface = less slipping. anything that's been out on the road may have a slightly less uniform surface, meaning slipping can occur, and that can cause more heat and wear on the tire.

point of all this is that the harder the surface the more wear on the tire, so for tires i care about i try to minimize the time they're on that hard surface. obviously they're on the road for the actual races, but for the super-duper race tires i might use in, say, a nationals TT i will do what i can to save 'em.

waterrockets 

I have never noticed abnormal tire wear on my trainer vs the road. This is a KK.

The tire picks up aluminum from the roller and starts to gray, but that comes off after a couple meters on the road. I don't believe there is much wear at all of my tires. I've never noticed any rubber bits on the mat around it.

I think this whole trainer tire business is a sham, at least for my trainer.

gsteinb

when I had a computrainer I used a trainer tire and I ended up with yellow shards all over everything. I didn't get it, and coupled with the difficulty in getting in on the rim I pitched it and just used a regular tire.

shovelhd

My trainer tire (Tacx) is three years old and still has the mold mark in the middle of the tread. At this rate it's going to last until 2054.

waterrockets 

I was ambiguous... I don't doubt that trainer tires are much much more durable than regular tires. On my trainer, they just plain are not needed. I think my trainer polishes my tire. I have the tension as tight as I can get it, there's no slippage, and it just doesn't take off detectable amounts of material.

shovelhd

I use a dedicated trainer wheel so it made sense to use a trainer tire rather than an old road tire.

sbs z31

First year racing and I did use my set of rollers for the first few races. Now I just warm up on the road and do easy riding for about 10min or so then I'll push myself to hit my targeted heart rate a few times. After that I'll just ride easy right before the start of the race. Seems to be working pretty well for me so far.

tetonrider

my trainer tire runs quieter vs a regular road tire. for me, this is valuable. could just be the combo i am using, though.

my trainer tires are 2-4 years old.

i found i was getting more slippage if i took a tire that had been ridden outside and put it on the trainer than if i used one that had never seen the road.i have a dedicated trainer wheel with 11-21 spacing, so it makes sense to have a dedicated trainer tire. they're not expensive relative to me using any other new tire. i know some folks get away with using old road tires, and that's cool.

i found the cycleops trainer tire to be quietest. the vittora home trainer seemed to glaze over a bit more, which (in my case) lead to noise and slippage.

shovelhd

11-21, you use a Dura-Ace cog on your trainer wheel?

tetonrider

yeah. got a 7800 off of ebay a while back. in my experience, DA cogs last me quite a long time when my chain is run clean.

i spend lots of time riding indoors -- hell, my trainer wheel may be my wheel set that gets the most hours on it! -- so having the smooth transitions is something i value.

could be seen as dumb, i know, but it's worth it to me.

shovelhd

I was just busting since the topic revolved around saving money. There are times I wish I had the 18 on the trainer. I have two 11-21 cogs so maybe I'll try it one time. I also keep my drivetrain clean and appreciate the improved shifting of 7900 cassettes versus 6700. That's what I race on.