Duct tape on tire for trainer?
 

Please don't laugh at me but I swear I read somewhere that someone was using duct tape on the rear tire whilst using the trainer to prevent undue wear?? Anyone doing this? Thanks!

I can't really see Duct tape lasting that long

I just save old worn out tires and use them or pop by my LBS and ask if they have anything I can get that is in trainer shape and is going to be tossed out

I was also wondering if there was another solution rather than swapping tires, especially for the indoor/outdoor riding season overlap. I came across this article that talks about using duct tape over a mountain tire on a trainer - http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-299403.html - has anyone tried this on a road tire?

I was also wondering if it would work to cut the beads off an old tire and then deflate the good tire, slip the old tire casing without the beads over the top and re-inflate the good tire. I would think the tire pressure would stretch the old tire casing and hold it place. Has anyone tried either of these solutions? I may try this and report on what happens. It would let the old tire casing take the trainer abuse without having to do a full tire swap.

I know a tri guy who just buys the cheapest tire possible. He said that some of them are so hard that they'll outlast any trainer tire.

This. Get the equivalent of the Pep Boys 50,000 mile car tire. It will be as hard as a rock and cheap. BTW, I had a set of those tires on my Jeep and the tires lasted longer than the vehicle. They got so hard after 5 years that I could drift around corners with ease.

hmm.. Turns your car into a Tonka Toy.. This guy told me that they were some sort of el-cheapo tire he got from a hardware store. He couldn't remember the make though.

I do it too. The duct tape won't stick for long but it is a clever ideal.

Won't it crud up the roller on the trainer as well ? Worn out or cheap tires makes more sense.

Here is another post I found on trifuel.com

I had the same problem with my Minora Mag trainer, I demolished a $50.00 Vittoria
racing tire in a month on my trainer. But no more. Here's what I have been doing for the
past year, and my rear tire is still like new !
Go to your local hardware store and get a couple of rolls of the DOUBLE-WIDE black
electricians tape. The regular width tape is not wide enough to cover the tire surface completely.
With the bike on the trainer I wrap a layer of this tape all the way around the tire, twice.
Electrical tape is an INSULATOR, so it guards your tire from the heat and the friction created by your trainer. Use electrical tape ONLY, as it comes off easily, with no mess or residue left on the tire. I simply tape the tire ride the trainer 2 or 3 times during the week, and then remove the tape for the weekend road ride. This way the tape peels off easily and doesn't stay on the tire long enough to start breaking down. At $1.29 a roll, one roll will do a month. If you do the math,
this is much cheaper than buying a new racing tire, or an entire rear wheel set just for use on the trainer.

BikeTrainerTape instead of duct tape
 

Duct tape leaves a heavy residue when you remove and swapping tires is a hassle when alternating frequenly from indoor riding to outdoor riding. There's a new product on the market called Bike Trainer Tape that's specifically designed to protect your good Tires on the indoor trainer

I think you can find a rear wheel for about $75 now, coupled with a cheap $10-15 tire and a $35 cassette (105 is your cheapest 11-speed option, I think...)

If I was doing the switch weekly or more, That would totally be worth the $100 or so to have an easily swapped rear wheel for training.. much easier than tape, or changing tires...just a bit more money.

That's some seriously questionable physics being referred to there.

If I were to set things up for some dedicated trainer riding, I'd get another rear wheel. Might not even need to match the number of speeds. As long as a couple of gears run clean, I can do the rest by changing the resistance setting on the trainer. For the ultimate in care-free indoor riding I'd fit a solid AKA airfree AKA airless tire to the trainer wheel. The higher weight and rolling resistance will work in its favor, and there is plenty of material to wear off.

The above is why one gets resistance rollers. Toss the bike on them and ride. Besides of course all the skills, none of which are provided by a trainer. One-legged pedaling on the rollers is the shiznit.

I think the roller diameter has an impact on wear with the smaller diameter rollers causing more problems. A kurt kinetic trainer has 2+" rollers and I've never noticed any wear. I just use whatever's on my bike, normally GP4000s.

duct tape? Seriously?

A couple of things- putting tape on your tire seems it would be more of a hassle ( and mess after you heat it up a few times real good) when you go to remove it. Second, making sure your trainer is set up correctly should help with chewing up tires. Third, having a decent trainer with a metal roller helps as well. I use old tires and find that they last very long (current one on it's second season). If you are going to invest the time and a few bucks playing with tape, either change out the tire or pick up a used wheel & tire to use.

I was going to ask, does riding on a trainer really put that much wear on a back tire? I've adjusted mine to where the metal roller just has good contact with the rear tire. I don't think it would wear it down that much.

The tire primarily wears because the small trainer wheel has to be tightly pushed against the bike tire. This deforms the tire a lot more than riding. It will wear anyway with tape on the tire. Duct tape will leave a mess on the tire when you take it off.

I just use an old clapped out tire that I replaced last summer when I started getting too many cuts and whatnot.

I remember a trick about using cardboard. It seemed to work decently.

koffee

My older bike's tires would shred on the trainer, a Kurt Kinetic. Little rubber bits, the size of sand, would be on the floor after a few rides.

But now, my nice GP4000 tires don't have a problem. They get a shiny look, but no shredding or wear.

I don't sprint on the trainer, I don't want to shred the tires or stress the bike frame. I use higher air pressure than when I'm road riding, and I turn the tension knob about 2 turns after the roller contacts the tire. It'll slip if I stomp on the pedals.

I kept a few old tires that are just about worn to the threads, but I haven't felt the need to put these on.

A reason to have two sets of wheels, nice and good but no attached love. Summer you train on the so-so wheels, ride events on the good wheels. Winter the good wheels go on the trainer with an old rear tire. I use old Rubino Pros that I have a few of. A few years ago, those tires had a hard compound that was treacherous in the wet as a light rider. I only used them if I was going to be riding goathead country. They are perfect trainer tires.

Ben