Caliwild

So I just purchased a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine fluid trainer. If you had the choice of hooking up either a nice carbon framed bike, a vintage steel bike, a single-speed steel bike, or a beater aluminum road bike, which would you use? From my limited search on the forum, it seems like the single-speed is not a good idea. And I don't think I'd want to put stress on my carbon frame. So, would you do a modern aluminum bike with modern Shimano or a vintage steel bike with Campy? Any advantage/disadvantage to either? Am I overthinking it?! Thanks in advance...

caloso

I think you're overthinking it. A trainer doesn't put any more stress on a frame than riding it on the road. Also, your trainer doesn't care who makes your shifters or how many gears your bike has.

But as between frame materials, I'd either go with CF or Al over steel. Because I always sweat a ton on the trainer (no matter how many fans I have going) and sweat is going to have bigger corrosive effect on a steel bike.

Caliwild

Didn't think of that... thanks! Wouldn't want my lovely Italian steel corroding!

caloso

Yeah. I'm sure someone will pop on here to say that it shouldn't make a difference if it's fully painted and you make sure to wipe it down after every ride, but you'll never get it perfectly wiped down and paint is never perfect. It's just not worth it if it's a frame you care about.

RPK79

It shouldn't make a difference if it's fully painted and you make sure to wipe it down after every ride.

indyfabz

But you'll never get it perfectly wiped down and paint is never perfect.

RPK79

Well, that's just ludicrous. I've never heard such a statement before. Ever.

Homebrew01

Whichever bike you are most likely to feel comfortable riding.

FlashBazbo

Some manufacturers of carbon frames say that using the bike on an indoor trainer is "abuse" and that it, therefore, voids the warranty. BMC is one of those manufacturers and my primary road bike and TT bike are both BMC's.


For that reason, I have a cheap aluminum bike that I use on the trainer. It cost less than a lot of trainers cost. And it works.

kbarch

How much can you vary resistance? What he says may be true, but you may care what gears it has - I wouldn't want a compact setup or anything too easy.

Larry77

I think it's nice to have a bike that just lives on the trainer, but maybe that's because I'm lazy and I like to have my bikes set up the way I am going to ride them (ie rain bike with fenders, #1 bike with saddle bag on). I was a little nervous at first about my carbon frame but I talked to our local carbon repair shop who repairs bike frames from all over the country and they said they nearly never have to repair a frame from damage sustained while on a trainer. I'm not one to stand up and mash on my trainer but I know some do...

caloso

My fluid trainer increases resistance the faster you pedal, so it mimics the resistance you would feel on the road. So even if you rode a FG on the trainer, it increases the resistance. I don’t know if magnetic ones do the same. Don’t some of them have cable switches to change resistance?

Obviously, you would have a much bigger range with a geared bike, so I see your point.

gregf83 

A Kurt Kinetic will not be 'easy' with a compact. I think 300W is around 34kph.

kbarch

Actually, I'm sure it's 0kph.

Seriously, though - it sounds like what kind of bike/gearing you want to use may depend on what kind of trainer you have. For instance, some trainers (most?) you use the wheel and cassette that are on your bike already, other trainers you take the rear wheel off and use the cassette that's on the trainer (that's the only type I've had occasion to use).

Then there are rollers - I know there are some where you can vary resistance, but for ordinary ones where you can't, if you want to crank out the watts without getting all spastic, 50/11 may not be big enough - which is why I prefer to use the race bike on the rollers. And of course since it's not rigidly attached to anything, I don't have to worry about the CF getting stressed out.

Sy Reene

Dubious claim IMO. Riding on the road, there isn't anything clamped and localized to a 1" square area (rear skewer head) that's completely stopping the bike from making natural left/right rocking movements.

f4rrest

I've used both my bikes extensively on a KK trainer. I don't do standing sprints.

Aluminum and CF.

No problems with either of them.

Just use the provided steel skewer.

Sy Reene

probably all manufacturers have an out if they want to use it from warranty perspective (and likely not just related to carbon though), in similar vein to BMC's or Trek's, exclusion eg.
"Installation of components, parts, or accessories not originally intended for or compatible with the bicycle as sold"

Caliwild

Thanks for the responses! I guess I'll just throw on my most beat-up bike...

RPK79

I find this funny since when I went to a Wahoo / Zwift event at one of my Local LBS Shops they had a BMC hooked up to one of the Kickrs.

ksryder

I love you guys.

sdmc530

Put the beater on there. I have my old beater road bike on mine and just leave it there. Never take it off. Then have my "good" bike for outdoor riding. No complaints. Also a good way to use up tires not good enough for the road.

congrats on the trainer, Kurt is awesome, I love mine. A very good investment IMO.

FeltF2Tarmac

Take a look at the “carbon frame creaking on trainer” thread. I was told by a Specialized support guy it’s ok but the way the warranty is spelled out says otherwise. Sure you might get a break on a new frame but fact is they were not designed to be stationary, locked into a roller by the skewer. Wouldn’t matter if the bike didn’t have a warranty like a used bike. This is the number one reason I would never buy a used carbon bike. Unlike a crash that would most likely leave some evidence, the damage from a trainer could be undetectable. My Carbon bike has never seen a trainer and never will.

ddub

Is there any data out that proves damage from trainer? Any particular frame material prone to certifiable damage? I'm too lazy to research it.

caloso

Huh. Every racer I know spends a fair amount of time on his or her race bike attached to a trainer, even if all they use the trainer for is warming up for races.

FeltF2Tarmac

Doesn’t mean it’s good for the frame. Fact is if not having a warranty is no issue neither is riding it on a trainer. Not everyone can drop $3-5 grand on a frame or even replace an entry level carbon frame because of what would be considered abuse or at the least unintended use. It’s really a comical argument because on one end of the spectrum is the higher cost for minimal gains coupled with no one needs an expensive bike. Pay attention to torque values blah blah blah. But it’s ok to strap said expensive bike into a device that puts undo strain in ways not intended.
I was told, have read and seen what a trainer can do so I will go with the manufactures recommendation. The recommendation to not use a trainer. Felt BMC and Specialized are some mentioned and I suspect Most do recommend not using a trainer. Just because a brand sells a trainer on their website doesn’t mean an endorsement on using it. Trek is a great example of this. Go figure.