There is now a noticeable flat on my rear tyre so I suppose I do need a trainer tyre after all

I’m not convinced they’re not a gimmick TBH, I’d just fit something cheap and hard

hope that whatever you’ve wedged under the roller doesn’t snag on anything……

Like what exactly? The friction of the towel against the roller is a lot less than the tyre. I wasn’t saying it’s a better solution than a resistance unit or turbo for regular training, but for warmups at an event I’ve found it a great way to get some harder efforts in when just spinning the rollers does not give you the resistance you need.

I paid about 15 quid for mine, can’t use it outside anyway, so why bother trying to find something cheap and hard (so crap for road use anyway) AND good at higher temperatures AND designed to be quiet?

And the last cheap nasty tyre i used on a turbo deposited a lovely streak of partially melted rubber powder in a stripe across the floor and up the kitchen wall.

The plastic seam between the drum and the end cap? The belt if the rollers move around. The chips and scrapes in the surface of the drum from transport and use? The tiny bits of burnt on rubber from sprints? They’ll all start pulling at the towel, it’s not like the drum surface is perfectly smooth……..

It’s not going to happen often, but i’ve seen it a couple of times.

I’m not convinced they’re not a gimmick TBH, I’d just fit something cheap and hard

Well you can get trainer tyres for £11 each on Rose bikes, can’t find many tyres cheaper than that.

Lots of people charging £25 for folding ones though – I mean why? Who the F needs lighter weight folding tyres on a trainer?

one doesn’t use indoor trainers out of choice, one does it when one only has 45 mins to get in a quality workout.

This gives me other options that may fit in with work when WFH.

Bingo! It’s the convenience when weather is bad and time is short. I think some folk miss that point. During the winter, I use my rollers, it’s dry, I can be rolling in a matter minutes. Then it’s straight into the shower. Bike is dry, no cleaning or lubing required and it’s all ready to go next time.

Yes, it can be boring on longer sessions, but one can say that about lots of stuff………

4) There is now a noticeable flat on my rear tyre so I suppose I do need a trainer tyre after all
I learnt this the hard way, ruined two road tyres before accepting that on the grounds that using a road tyre was, for me, a false economy and after using a road tyre on the rollers, the damage made the tyre unsafe for further use. I now have a specific tyre for the job.

I’m not convinced they’re not a gimmick TBH, I’d just fit something cheap and hard
I think I paid about £15 for my trainer tyre and considering the road tyres I used couldn’t be used for road after being on the rollers, I’d say the roller tyre easily pays for itself by sparing my nice Italian road tyres.

I have Cyclops rollers, and the bearings have become increasingly noisey as the miles have amassed. Doesn’t seem to be much of an issue, TBH.

AND designed to be quiet?

I think DC rainmaker pretty much killed that idea didn’t he?

This review where he measures the sound they make.

There is now a noticeable flat on my rear tyre so I suppose I do need a trainer tyre after all.

Hmmm – how long were you on the rollers for?

You shouldn’t need a special tyre for rollers (debatable for a turbo). There is no additional tension/load on rollers than you would see on the road plus the drums are smooth.

The key thing is to pump your tyres to the maximum stated on the sidewall.

Track bikes spend just as much time on rollers as they do on the track and the wear is minimal over a season. I have never seen anyone change their expensive race tubs for a turbo tyre at an omnium!

No, of course. You are correct, I was just making it all up. In truth:

a) I didn’t ruin a Michelin Pro 4 service course on my rollers, the tread didn’t come away from the tyre wall. It was all just a figment of my imagination……

b) There is not structural difference between tubs and clinchers, so that’s why it’s ok to compare tubs with clinchers.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

In the meanwhile, 1 roller tyre, £15, sorted!
Thank you, byeeee.
😉

I think you got the wrong end of the stick! I wasn’t suggesting that there is a structural difference between tubs and tyres (although there is, but lots of tubs have the tread part bonded similarly to clinchers – you will also see loads of people on clinchers at velodromes on rollers). I was trying to highlight how little wear rollers produce (and that is why people with expensive track tubs are happy to ride on them).

 

I have never seen a tyre delaminate on rollers like you describe (I assume in an hour or so). What pressure were you running?

Quick hijack.

Can anyone with Tacx Antares rollers comment on their resistance? Am hoping to do some sweet spot / threshhold intervals on them to give me a break from the turbo. They seem to be the cheapest decent rollers around.

stevious – Member

Quick hijack.

Can anyone with Tacx Antares rollers comment on their resistance? Am hoping to do some sweet spot / threshhold intervals on them to give me a break from the turbo. They seem to be the cheapest decent rollers around.

They should be fine. I have cyclops and Antares and ride either (depending on what the kids have nicked). I can do some decent threshold work on both (in 52×11). It will be a different kind of riding to the turbo but it should improve your pedaling technique, if it doesn’t you will bounce off above 120rpm cadence!

Can anyone with Tacx Antares rollers comment on their resistance?

Resistance is quote light, I’m getting about 330w @ 110-113rpm. Replicate hill climbs it does not, but good for my needs.

Thanks guys. I am small and weak so the chances of me needing to spend much time above 300W is pretty slim.

Resistance fan, flywheel and front fork mount available for my rollers. A flywheel would really be nice. As for noise, well they are aluminium with nice bearings and I find them to be very quiet. I won’t be swapping tyres, nor do I need to swap speed sensor between turbo wheel and bike on the rollers.