I set up my first turbo trainer last night, but on mounting a bike into it and turning the pedals by hand, the resistance feels very stiff. I have gone through the gears and the resistance control, but the resistance still feels incredibly heavy. If I spin the rear wheel, I get a couple of revolutions before the wheel stops. Is this natural and will it feel different once I properly ride the bike?
I have still to have a proper ride on it, but was running out of time last night after fighting over installing a turbo trainer tyre. The trainer is an Elite Volare Magna gel and I have mounted an ancient hardtail that has a bolted rear axle as opposed to a quick release. My understanding is that this should work, but could the pressure from the mounting affect the freewheel? The freewheel turns fine when not on the trailer and the brake is not rubbing.
I will test out another bike tonight with a QR, but having set up an old bike as a trainer, I’d really like to use it and start getting some fitness back
