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Fluid trainer excessive vibration

Old 04-14-20, 08:21 PM
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Fluid trainer excessive vibration

I started biking more on my trainer, and it went from working great one day to suddenly making a ton of noise. I tried following some tips such as tightening and loosening the flywheel, but nothing seems to be working. It's a cheap Ascent Fluid Trainer so if it's dead, it wouldn't surprise me. It is vibrating an absolute ton, and I can feel it go into my handle bars now. I've also noticed that I don't hear fluid sloshing around when I start to peddle so I am wondering if maybe the fluid has leaked out? As this is my first trainer, would someone be able to confirm this is a sign that the fluid is gone? There's no puddle or anything so I can't visually see a leak.
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Old 04-14-20, 08:27 PM
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If fluid has leaked out the resistance would have changed. Did it? Is the vibration rhythmic with the roller's rpms or the wheels? Do you release the roller pressure off the tire when not using the trainer? Andy
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Old 04-14-20, 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
If fluid has leaked out the resistance would have changed. Did it? Is the vibration rhythmic with the roller's rpms or the wheels? Do you release the roller pressure off the tire when not using the trainer? Andy
I don't think the resistance has changed. I had just swapped from a standard road tire to a trainer tire and used it for maybe at most 30 miles before the problem presented itself. I also haven't biked enough to get it warm enough since the vibrations have bothered me so much (and probably my downstairs neighbor) so I can't really say one way or the other. However, I imagine if all fluid is gone it would have changed quite a bit? edit: actually just checked and fluid is definitely still there so I guess that's not the issue.

Re: vibration. It is with the roller's RPMs. I did not release roller pressure off the tire when not using the trainer. I'm guessing that's something I should have been doing?

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Old 04-14-20, 09:23 PM
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Tires will develop an indentation where the roller presses against it. Much like a car's tires get a flat spot when the car is parked for a long time. But with a roller/bike tire that flat spot is really a deeper indent. Of course this would be felt as a wheel rotation cycle of vibration, hence my question.

BTW it is this indenting of the tire in use that causes much faster tire wear and sometimes tube abrasion leading to non puncture flats. We suggest max tire pressure with minimal roller pressure (at steady state pedaling there will be no roller/tire slippage but with hard acceleration some slippage will happen until the roller catches up to the wheel's increased speed). And release the roller after use to prevent tire denting.

As to the roller vibration the first thing I would look at is whether the roller bearings are getting loose or are worn. next up is whether the roller is loose on it's shaft. often there's a set screw to secure the roller on that shaft and if this is loose… Andy
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Old 04-14-20, 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
Tires will develop an indentation where the roller presses against it. Much like a car's tires get a flat spot when the car is parked for a long time. But with a roller/bike tire that flat spot is really a deeper indent. Of course this would be felt as a wheel rotation cycle of vibration, hence my question.

BTW it is this indenting of the tire in use that causes much faster tire wear and sometimes tube abrasion leading to non puncture flats. We suggest max tire pressure with minimal roller pressure (at steady state pedaling there will be no roller/tire slippage but with hard acceleration some slippage will happen until the roller catches up to the wheel's increased speed). And release the roller after use to prevent tire denting.

As to the roller vibration the first thing I would look at is whether the roller bearings are getting loose or are worn. next up is whether the roller is loose on it's shaft. often there's a set screw to secure the roller on that shaft and if this is loose… Andy
Ahh gotcha. That makes sense. Minimal roller pressure made most sense to me, but I saw in the manual it said to do like 2-3 more rotations after minimal contact. I also did get a non-puncture flat on a brand new inner tube so this makes complete sense now.

Regarding the roller... how in the world do I check the roller bearings? The roller does not seem loose on the shaft. If I grab it with my hands and try to move it, it does not budge.
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Old 04-15-20, 09:39 AM
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Re: roller security- That is what I would do first, jiggle the roller. At the other end of the shaft, inside the fluid housing, is another part (the impeller) which like the roller is secured somehow to the shaft. That also could be loose but without X Ray eyes won't be seen, or fixed. The shaft's bearings might be assessed by turning the roller by hand and feeling for roughness or slop, just like spinning a wheel or axle to feel the hub's bearings. But al;l of this is somewhat accodemic as repair parts are not going to be found (other then bearings) and tools/repair processes are not offered by the industry. So my judgment is that you'll be replacing the trainer when you get too frustrated.

We sell saris trainers and I've been very impressed with their warranty service for years. Better then the other brands we have tried and still an American company (not that this means much to some, I do like keeping my money in circulation as locally as possible). Andy
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Old 04-15-20, 09:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
Re: roller security- That is what I would do first, jiggle the roller. At the other end of the shaft, inside the fluid housing, is another part (the impeller) which like the roller is secured somehow to the shaft. That also could be loose but without X Ray eyes won't be seen, or fixed. The shaft's bearings might be assessed by turning the roller by hand and feeling for roughness or slop, just like spinning a wheel or axle to feel the hub's bearings. But al;l of this is somewhat accodemic as repair parts are not going to be found (other then bearings) and tools/repair processes are not offered by the industry. So my judgment is that you'll be replacing the trainer when you get too frustrated.

We sell saris trainers and I've been very impressed with their warranty service for years. Better then the other brands we have tried and still an American company (not that this means much to some, I do like keeping my money in circulation as locally as possible). Andy
Thanks. I was coming to the same conclusion myself as I was searching for more information on the trainer. Doesn't help that it's an Ascend trainer and not from Cycleops or Kurt or one of the other major manufacturers. I bought it used for $40 and probably got over 100 miles on it so I honestly can't complain too much. It was a very cheap way to get into biking indoors.

The bearing does not feel rough. I do see that the roller might have a slight bit of slop as there is slight movement left and right, but I don't think it's necessarily responsible for the noise. I think the thing that kills me the most is that the trainer is definitely usable still, but it just makes too much noise for a 2nd floor apartment. I was really excited with how quiet it was when I got the trainer tire on, but I don't think it's usable for me unless I figure out this vibration.

I do have my eyes on the Saris H3 since I found a site that has it on sale for $800. Though I'm constantly going between a refurbished Kickr Core and coughing up extra money for a Tacx Neo as well. I also only really just bike for exercise so I question if this is the best use of my money Direct drive does seem to be the way to go for an apartment though as it is noticeably quieter.
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Old 04-21-20, 09:42 PM
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Unfortunately I was never able to figure out how to fix the fluid trainer, vibrations seemed to be getting worse and worse with every adjustment I made. However, I just got my Saris H3 delivered today, and I am actually so happy the fluid trainer died on me! Biking indoors is sooooooo much more enjoyable. Also so much quieter. I'd like to try the other trainers, but I really can't see why anyone would buy the Neo 2T or Kickr for $4-500 more.
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