Bachelor Reform

Greetings,

I have an ascent magentic trainer. The resistance unit is wobbly and has about 1 cm of freeplay. The result is that it bounces against my rear tire unless set the adjustment knob very tight against the tire. My understanding is that the tire should just skim the roller.

I have attached an image for reference.

Any advice on this matter is appreciated.

Thanks

alcjphil

In order for the resistance unit to work, the roller has to be tight against the tire. If it isn't it will slip, especially when you set the resistance unit at a higher value.

LarDasse74

1 cm of play? That is outrageous! Take it back to where you bought it - that is completely unacceptable.

Bachelor Reform

Thank You alcjphil. I was able to confirm the information in your response by tinkinering with several new trainer models and talking with the bike shop staff.

I recently purchased the trainer and have put about 300miles on it however I did not recall if the resistance unit was stationary or if it moved around a bit. 1cm of play is outrageous for a new product if that is not how it was designed.

BarracksSi

No. Like alcjphil said, it has to be tight against the tire. This way it won't slip or bounce around. Check its tightness by grabbing the bike's wheel by the rim, turning it a quarter-turn or so, then jerking it around the other direction. If the resistance roller is tight enough, it won't slip.

Also -- is the wheel true?

Bachelor Reform

I doubt the wheel is true. I don't notice anything out of the ordinary when I'm riding, but the bike has not been serviced in years. But why is that important on the trainer?

BarracksSi

It's important because if the wheel rim is wobbling and hopping, it's going to do it against the trainer's roller.