I’m itching to start using my new (to me) tri bike, but have been loathe to put it on the trainer – don’t want to cause undue stress to the bike (it’s already had plenty of use by its previous owner), and it’s also got nice wheels and tires on it. I’ve got a trainer tire on my road bike, which is currently what I’m using on the trainer. Unfortunately the wheels are a different size on my tri bike, so can’t just swap it out. Am I going to trash my nice tire/wheel if I use them on the trainer for the next 3-4 weeks until I can get outside?
Yes. Get some practice changing tires and tubes and swap it.
We all have limited time to train and for me I need every ounce of energy in my training. I choose to leave the tire on (GP4000S) all the time and just put a new one on for race season. That is roughly a $40 investment that gives me a 100% flexibility in riding indoors and outdoors. I do have a indoor trainer tire that does work better but changing a tire for indoor/outdoor rides for me weekly would put a barrier to a workout for me which is tough. My opinion don’t overthink it and just use the same tire and replace as needed.
Buy a cheap 30mm box rim and put the trainer tire on that. All you have to do is swap the wheel which is obviously much easier to do than a tire.
Using the same tire is a bad idea. It squares off the tire very quickly and could be dangerous.
Why risk it?
We all have limited time to train and for me I need every ounce of energy in my training
I do have a indoor trainer tire that does work better but changing a tire for indoor/outdoor rides for me weekly would put a barrier to a workout for me which is tough
How much time and energy do you put into changing a tire? 5 minutes shouldn’t ruin a workout.
I ran a GP4000s on the trainer for 4-5 h/week for a year. The tire is still in OK condition.
I say don’t worry about it…
I have a powertap now so use the same wheel. And yes the tire does wear faster but I see no reason it should be more dangerous as long as you look at how worn the tire is overall GP4000S has a wear indicator on them so again it should be pretty low. And yes 5 minutes for me is just one more barrier to work out. I am completely lazy and have 4 kids so any unit of time I get to either spend with the family or rest I take it.
I have done this for 2 years now and I use 1 tire all winter
This ^
I have an old rear wheel I use exclusively for the turbo, with a trainer tyre on. You will also need a cassette if you go this way.
I use the same tire both indoor and outdoor and have never had a problem.
I haven’t noticed any trainer specific wear on the tire. Yes, I do think it wears a little faster but I usually get a new tire every year anyway. I don’t see how the wear would be different on a trainer than it would be outside. Just check it every so often and replace when needed.
I ride 5hrs a week on the trainer and 5hrs outside on average just for a reference.
i use a gator skin on power tap wheel and also ride on those same tires outside.
had no issues have done this for 3-4 years. yes it does wear slightly faster. it also depends on how much trainer time you do put in. i am only at 1 trainer workout per week and 4 outside workouts but that is due to living in florida when it never dips below 45.
It’s fine. I ride “thousands” of miles a year on the trainer with regular tires. Yes it will wear a little faster, due in part to the fact that you’re constantly on the center of the tire. It’s worth it to me to be able to grab my bike and head out the door rather than fiddle around with changing tires or wheels.
Let’s say you get 25% greater life by swapping tires every few days. Is it really worth $10 over the course of 6 months to a year? For me it’s a non-issue.
Buy a cheap 30mm box rim and put the trainer tire on that. All you have to do is swap the wheel which is obviously much easier to do than a tire.
Using the same tire is a bad idea. It squares off the tire very quickly and could be dangerous.
Why risk it?
Completely agree. I rode my 4000s on my trainer last summer for the first time and on the very next ride I went down. Wet wooden deck over a stream and as I turned the corner the rear tire slipped out going less than 5mph. Do I know the trainer did it? No. In hind sight could I see the difference in wear from front to back from one trainer ride? Yes. I have a separate wheel and cassette that I run on the trainer. Going down is just not worth it.
Buy a cheap 30mm box rim and put the trainer tire on that. All you have to do is swap the wheel which is obviously much easier to do than a tire.
Using the same tire is a bad idea. It squares off the tire very quickly and could be dangerous.
Why risk it?
This.
It’s fine. I ride “thousands” of miles a year on the trainer with regular tires. Yes it will wear a little faster, due in part to the fact that you’re constantly on the center of the tire. It’s worth it to me to be able to grab my bike and head out the door rather than fiddle around with changing tires or wheels.
Let’s say you get 25% greater life by swapping tires every few days. Is it really worth $10 over the course of 6 months to a year? For me it’s a non-issue.
+1
I’m convinced that trainer tires are mostly a racket. Most reasonably durable tires do fine on the trainer and are cheaper in many cases. IME, only certain race tires with very soft rubber compounds don’t last long.
For double duty outside and on the trainer, I’ve had great success with the Michelin Krylion Carbon (discontinued but basically renamed the Pro4 Endurance). My mom used a Continental GP Attack for two seasons on and off the trainer. My dad is using the Vittoria Rubino Pro. nbd
It’s fine. I ride “thousands” of miles a year on the trainer with regular tires. Yes it will wear a little faster, due in part to the fact that you’re constantly on the center of the tire. It’s worth it to me to be able to grab my bike and head out the door rather than fiddle around with changing tires or wheels.
Let’s say you get 25% greater life by swapping tires every few days. Is it really worth $10 over the course of 6 months to a year? For me it’s a non-issue.
+1
I’m convinced that trainer tires are mostly a racket. Most reasonably durable tires do fine on the trainer and are cheaper in many cases.
I feel the same way…BUT recently got a trainer tire cheap and it seems very quiet. But that might just be in comparison to the tire I was using previously. If the price is right and you have a spare wheel to use for the trainer, a trainer tire seems the way to do. If not, don’t worry - I don’t think using a tire on a trainer is any worse for it than using it outside, except perhaps for the small amount of aluminum dust that seems to get on it. In which case you can just wipe off the tire.
Also, the “argument” of “why risk it?” that some people use seems pretty lame. It’s FUD.
Yes, I’ve heard that trainer tires can be quieter. My music is always jacked so I couldn’t care less 
I also wonder if trainer tires are less prone to slipping during accelerations. I don’t do anything remotely sprint-y on the trainer, so I wouldn’t know.
Riding on a wet wooden surface, no matter what tire you have, is going to be dangerous. Especially if it’s over a stream and stays wet for long periods (grows slippery funk on it.) That’s almost like riding on ice.
My trainer tire was a gift so the cost to me was nothing, therefore I use it and is the cheapest option. After 4 years it looks brand new, that can’t be said for the few tires I shredded on the trainer before getting one so to me it just isn’t worth risking shredding another when I have the trainer tire.
That being said I did a crit a week ago so I had my 4000s’ on with the bike on the trainer warming up and it was SO much smoother than the trainer tire. A little of it was probably aluminum road bike vs carbon tri bike which I usually use on the trainer… but couldn’t believe it I kept looking down at the resistance unit to make sure it didn’t break.
Riding on a wet wooden surface, no matter what tire you have, is going to be dangerous. Especially if it’s over a stream and stays wet for long periods (grows slippery funk on it.) That’s almost like riding on ice.
For sure - however given the speed I was going, very slow, and how careful I was it surprised the heck out of me.
I also don’t run a trainer tire, just an old tire. Just don’t run the outdoor tires on the trainer any more.
We all have limited time to train and for me I need every ounce of energy in my training
I do have a indoor trainer tire that does work better but changing a tire for indoor/outdoor rides for me weekly would put a barrier to a workout for me which is tough
How much time and energy do you put into changing a tire? 5 minutes shouldn’t ruin a workout.
I wish I was able to put my trainer tire on my wheel that fast the last time I performed the task. 3 hours and 4 destroyed innertubes later I finally got the stupid thing on and air didn’t leak (I patched the last tube 2x). 4 of the tubes leaked through the valve stem area where you can’t patch it and became junk. The stupid tire had virtually no flex and the wheel I was trying to put in on gave very little clearance. It took me forever to get the stupid tire on the wheel and then I would discover the tube was leaking and had to start over. Definitely ruined my workout that night since I didn’t get one in and it was already time to get ready to call it a night.
The ironic thing was the very first time I put the trainer tire on after I bought was on a different bike wheel that was older but had a freewheel hub. That was rather easy actually and only took less than 5 minutes.