Typical day today. Had just enough time to try to fit a quick indoor ride…got changed, everything ready, just about to jump on the bike on the computrainer when I noticed I had another rear flat. As I changed the tire I looked over at my garbage can and saw 3 tubes already in it (and one tire which blew out)…depressingly it hadn’t been that long since I took out the trash.
It is starting to drive me nuts…I’ve used different wheels, different tires (including a conti trainer tire), different press-on force (the CT calibrates between 1.5 and 2.5), different training rides (from steady efforts to hard intervals, from 45 minutes to 2+hours). There doesn’t seem to be a pattern…but the beginning of many workouts is often delayed as my rear is completely flat…and it definitely happens much more frequently than outside.
Could it be…
pinch flats? Nope…trying to be extra careful changing tubes and I am flatting more than I flat outside
debris in the tire? Nope…I always check and I’ve used different tires
something sharp on the wheel? Nope…checked that too and again have used 2 different wheels
Only thing I can think of is the heat on the tire from using the trainer? The tire is noticeably warm when I’m done and I do store the bike in a chilly (not cold) garage. Can temperature gradients 'cause tubes to go flat? Is there anything I can do to make this happen less often? Would some no-tubes in the trainer tire be helpful?
I’m at wits end. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
I can’t offer advicee, but I hear ya… always something.
I have only flatted 2x ever on the road and had 3 in one session on the trainer… (origional flat, then pinch flat, then someone dropped a glass cup and a random shard must have bounced between the tire and the trainer cylinder thingy.)
And I highly doubt it is the heat… I come from riding in 100F weather so I would guess 110 on the asphault + normal riding temps… I don’t think the tires get hotter then that on the trainer. right?
If you have three tubes in the trash, did you attempt to repair them? Try to locate the puncture(s)? This would be helpful in identifying a cause. Sometimes the water immersion test is the only sure fire way to find a leak.
Where were the holes? This would be your first clue to determining what is causing your flats. I’ve never, in 20 years of riding, had a flat on a trainer so think there must be something you are doing consistently wrong (or I’m very lucky!).
I had a flat on the trainer the other day. My bike is in the bottom of my dorm - we have an indoor bike rack - and a little piece of metal stuck in the tire as I was rolling the bike across the floor to the trainer.
I used to get a lot of flats on the trainer. I fixed it by getting a dedicated rear wheel for the trainer, mounting a cheap 28 width rear tire on it, and putting this tube in it:
That tube ls about as thick as a garden hose, it is enormous. Haven’t had a flat since (knocking on wood right now…).
You may just want to embrace the flats though. I remember one time, I did a really hard interval set, and when I got off the bike the tire popped. Made me think ‘wow that must have been some workout’!
Most of my trainer flats have seemed to be from holes in the vicinity of the stem which leads me to speculate that its a combination of the high tire temps you can get on a trainer and the tire trying to move on the rim which in turn pulls on the tube. 3 things seemed to have helped: talc the tube before installing it; make sure the trainer is really cranked down on the tire so there is no slippage (slippage is where most of the heat comes from) and keep the tire pressure up (don’t fall into the trap of just because you are indoors, you don’t have to pump up the tire before every ride). I still get flats on the trainer but I’m down to less than one per season.
Also - a dedicated trainer tire is a good idea. They are much better at handling heat and stick to the trainer better.
I don’t have a clue. In 25+ years of trainer and roller riding, I’ve never had a flat. I’ve shredded rear tires quite a few times by riding them until the rubber came off and the tire just fell apart. But even then, the tubes didn’t flat.
Replace the rim tape. Use Velox tape. Make sure there are no burrs elsewhere in the rim that might impact the tube. And don’t overtighten the roller against the wheel or over pressure the tire. Remember, it will develop quite a bit of heat vs. normal road riding so the air will expand. No reason to run 120 psi in the cold tire.
I know I saw increased rubber burn off when using my trainer. I have a Tacx trainer and after making small adjustments to the contact pressure of the wheel to my tire, it went away.
Flatting on a trainer is and should be a VERY rare occurance. As everyone else has elluded to, check the location of the puncture on your tubes and we will all bet it’s the same type of hole and it’s in the same region of the tube. After you check that get in your car, drive to your LBS, purchase and replace your old rim tape on every spoked wheel you are riding. Front and rear.