Hi folks,

Going tubeless on the road bike and I’ve realised it’s thrown up a problem. I don’t want to wear a flat spot on the new soft expensive tyres (normally have gatorskins on there and they are hard wearing).

So.. few options

1) Change my tacx vortex for a direct drive trainer and sell the vortex.

2) Buy a turbo specific back wheel and cassette and put the blue tyre I’ve got kicking about in the turbo wheel.

3) build/buy a banger to leave on the turbo, but this might ride like a bag of spanners and have a different position to my road bike.

I’m leaning towards option 1 and 2 at the minute..

Question… do people find they need to re-index their gears with direct drive trainers and turbo specific wheels?

I have a spare wheel for my turbo

Thanks fossy, do you find you have to re-index your gears when you swap wheels?

When swapping I accepted my turbo wheel gears were a smidgen out.

Spare wheel, cassette, and turbo tyre isn’t much hassle changing around. I got a decent wheel with a knackered braking surface off gumtree for £20 IIRC.

I find if your going to have a direct drive…it’s best to have a dedicated set up…

I find if your going to have a direct drive…it’s best to have a dedicated set up…

Can you elaborate on this please with some reasons?

Well for a start…as you mentioned you’ll need to adjust your gear index plus you’ll have the hassle of removing your wheel and fixing to the DD turbo….all which I myself would find a huge pita…if I’m turboing two times a week and then going for weekend rides.
So what I did was use a old frame and build it up using cheap parts ( as weight will not be a issue), no need for wheels or brakes…the forks sit on a tool box and when I’m finished my session the frame still attached to the turbo, lifts up and leans against the wall out of the way..

I’ve used multiple bikes on a turbo with various wheels and never felt the need to adjust my gears. I’ve not felt any detriment to shift quality either.

It has to be said however I don’t change gears nearly as much as when out on the road.

Spare wheel is the sensible option, minimal cost if you buy something cheap second hand and minimal faff if you buy a wheel with the same brand hub as your proper wheel as you’re gears won’t need setting up.

But, if you use the turbo a lot, you may find it easier to have a dedicated turbo bike. I started with a cheap wheel and ended up with a bike living on the turbo.

I have a bike thats set up for the turbo, if I didnt I doubt I would use it very much.

So 5 hours after posting this Ive bodged most of a turbo bike together.

An old dialled bikes Prince Albert frame, with a layback Thomson the wrong way round to get the saddle to bb setback near on identical to my road bike.

Fizik “test” saddle that I should have taken back 2 years ago… bit late now!

Old pair of sids, locked out with some jubilee clips. 9 speed campag groupset on some unbranded 700c wheels.

I’ve even found some bar tape and a pair of brand new keo pedals to use yay!

Just need a 1 1/8 headset, some 25.4 drop bars and a square taper bb in 73mm and I’m away.

Awesome

I got a turbo bike to its pretty simple and cheap. It does have a turbo tyre an essential piece of kit IMHO. My latest upgrade was to change the pedals from spd trail to road. I’m on a vortex to great bit of kit. And TBH more than enough for my level of riding. I tend to do more turbo because the bikes already setup. Jump on, fans engaged to turbo mode and your off!