Who would guess tires make such a difference on the trainer?
 

I usually favor real rides in real weather, but once in awhile, I just don't feel like getting my bike gunked up while I get soaked and blown around by the wind. For the past few years, I've been using old Vittoria OC's on the trainer. I never gave them any thought since I considered them garbage as were too worn to be suitable for road use.

Over the weekend, I needed a new tire to use on the trainer, so I mounted an old flat resistant tire. It gave a crappy enough ride I felt it worthwhile to switch to a commuting tire that had proved a bit flat prone. That was fine for the workout, except when it was over, I'd tossed small bits of rubber all over the place.

I never could understand why anyone would buy a trainer specific tire, but if your favorite one suck on the trainer, it makes plenty of sense.

They:
1. cost as much as regular tires
2. don't get shredded on trainers
3. look sweet (Come on, blaze orange? Does it get classier?!)
4. make you fit in with your buddies because they all have them
5. are a PITA to mount...oh wait this is supposed to be why you WOULD buy them

Now climbing blocks...that's a different story.

I'm cheap and usually use a phone book to raise the front. The other day I forgot and ended up riding downhill the whole time. Guess that was a wasted workout :)

Nonsense -- you obviously had a great opportunity to work on your descending skills. I hope you were riding in the aero position with the fan on full blast. Otherwise, you really did waste your time.

:lol: -> hahaha

Something is wrong if a tire is getting abused by a trainer. I've had the same fluid trainer for about 10 years and all it does it make the rear tire a little shiny. I never get any rubber dust or excessive wear.

I think it has to do with this particular tire. My experience with other tires was also that it just makes it a bit shiny.

The "shiny" tire = accelerated wear. I didn't believe it myself until I went out after about 4 months of trainer use and was getting repeated pinch flats, with no tears/rips in the tire casing.

Turns out the tire was worn too thin, even though it wasnt punctured. Couldn't hold its shape on pebbles, thus pinch flats.

Changed to a new tire and no more pinch flats.

I love my trainer tire - thing is bulletproof on the trainer.

Tread thickness should have nothing to do with pinch flats. Maybe your tire pressure gage is off and you don't have enough pressure. Thin tread results in flats from any small price of glass, sharp rock or thorns.

I've been wondering about the reasons behind accelerated tire wear on the trainer too... why? 1) the chromed finish on the roller is far less abrasive than asphalt and 2) the load on the tire is far less (trainer: pressure of roller on the tire, just enough to keep it from skidding/slipping vs road: rider/bike weight).

^^Heat. When riding on the nastiest asphalt your tire has time to disperse the heat during its revolution. On a trainer, there is minimal to no air and the the constant friction applied to the tire can't be dispersed resulting in the rubber heating to temperatures outside what the manufacture intended for the rubber to support. Furthermore, most trainers themselves produce a lot of heat, which in turn is passed to the tire, essentially melting the rubber or causing it to delaminate.

I think if the trainer roller is small it may be harder on tires. I've never noticed any wear on tires after riding a KK trainer.

If you are going to be riding the trainer with some sort of frequency in the off-season, it absolutely makes sense to change out the rear tire. Bottom line is that the tire on the roller will create fiction. I'm sure that some of us (holding my hand up now) have setup the trainer where the roller was touching the tire a little bit too much and we could actually smell that friction.

If you have a rim drive trainer, this is a non issue because there is no roller but instead the trainer uses your bike's rear rim.

At the start of every off-season, I go out and spend $30 or so and pick up a slick rear tire. It gives a comfortable ride and makes
the whole ride less noisy.

+1 for trainer tyres. I wasn't convinved at first but they (at least the particular model I use) are really are quieter compared to a regular tyre and such I am able to watch the TV without needing to blast the volume.

The heat will do one of two things (or both).... Either the tire will come apart in flakes or big chunks or the rubber will cook making it hard and very slick outdoors.

Either way it makes sense to buy a tire that was made for the job as in a trainer tire. It will last a long, long time and is no more a PITA to get on than any other tire.

I've always been afraid of not having the roller tight enough because I was afraid of slippage. If I've been overtightening, that would certainly explain what I've seen -- the tire heats up quite a bit when I'm on the trainer.

I just use old tires that are basically worn out. Rub them and the trainer down with alcohol and it grips nicely. Cheaper than a trainer tire because I already have them.