Trainers, elastogel rollers and tyre wear

Martin said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

Thanks in advance

Martin

--
Removed z before replying by email.

have ya considered a set of rollers? Same tire wear as outside w/o the
flats, better training in that ya must ride in straight line,pedal in
circles..good training

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:14:19 -0700, Qui si parla Campagnolo
<[email hidden]> wrote:
[about rollers compared to trainers]

Quoted message said:

better training in that ya must ride in straight line,pedal in
circles..good training

"Better" depends on the riders goals and needs.

--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

I always use dirt cheap tires on trainers, but the elastogel roller does
make the whole experience quieter.

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Martin said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

Quoted message said:

Thanks in advance

Quoted message said:

Martin

Quoted message said:

--
Removed z before replying by email.

have ya considered a set of rollers? Same tire wear as outside w/o the
flats, better training in that ya must ride in straight line,pedal in
circles..good training

And it's fun. And IMO much less boring as you have something else to
concentrate on other than watching sweat drip onto the floor.

Joseph

Quoted message said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Martin said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

Quoted message said:

Thanks in advance

Quoted message said:

Martin

Quoted message said:

--
Removed z before replying by email.

have ya considered a set of rollers? Same tire wear as outside w/o the
flats, better training in that ya must ride in straight line,pedal in
circles..good training

And it's fun. And IMO much less boring as you have something else to
concentrate on other than watching sweat drip onto the floor.

Joseph

I have a set of rollers. I am thinking of getting a fluid trainer for
the more realistic resistance vs speed relationship. I am also attracted
by the possibility of a power display, as is available for Kinetic and a
high end Elite trainer. On rollers I find it difficult to lift my
backside off the saddle occasionally without feeling like I am in danger
of going off the front or back of the rollers.

Martin
--
Removed z before replying by email.

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:53 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

I get zero, or almost zero tire tread wear on a trainer anyway, so I'm
not sure that 20% reduction would matter to me. It's important to set
up the trainer so that the tires do not slip -- slipping and rubbing
causes friction, which wears the tread.

Many people worry about hurting their tires and set the contact too
loose, which results in slippage and tread wear.

I suppose there are other forms of tire wear caused by the trainer,
such as the casing flexing and wearing out perhaps. Or maybe the
tread separating from the casing. I had a casing fail after many years
of use. Maybe the special roller would help with that, but it doesn't
seem very important to me.
--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:53 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

I get zero, or almost zero tire tread wear on a trainer anyway, so I'm
not sure that 20% reduction would matter to me. It's important to set
up the trainer so that the tires do not slip -- slipping and rubbing
causes friction, which wears the tread.

Many people worry about hurting their tires and set the contact too
loose, which results in slippage and tread wear.

I suppose there are other forms of tire wear caused by the trainer,
such as the casing flexing and wearing out perhaps. Or maybe the
tread separating from the casing. I had a casing fail after many years
of use. Maybe the special roller would help with that, but it doesn't
seem very important to me.

I think you may be right about the contact force being inportant. On
some trainers you have to adjust the roller tension manually, but on the
Elite trainers the trainer geometry is designed so that some fraction of
the rider's weight is applied to the roller, so the user has no choice
in the contact force

Martin

--
Removed z before replying by email.

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:53 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

I get zero, or almost zero tire tread wear on a trainer anyway, so I'm
not sure that 20% reduction would matter to me. It's important to set
up the trainer so that the tires do not slip -- slipping and rubbing
causes friction, which wears the tread.

Many people worry about hurting their tires and set the contact too
loose, which results in slippage and tread wear.

I suppose there are other forms of tire wear caused by the trainer,
such as the casing flexing and wearing out perhaps. Or maybe the
tread separating from the casing. I had a casing fail after many years
of use. Maybe the special roller would help with that, but it doesn't
seem very important to me.

John, what is the make & model of your trainer?

Martin

--
Removed z before replying by email.

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:36:02 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:53 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

I get zero, or almost zero tire tread wear on a trainer anyway, so I'm
not sure that 20% reduction would matter to me. It's important to set
up the trainer so that the tires do not slip -- slipping and rubbing
causes friction, which wears the tread.

Many people worry about hurting their tires and set the contact too
loose, which results in slippage and tread wear.

I suppose there are other forms of tire wear caused by the trainer,
such as the casing flexing and wearing out perhaps. Or maybe the
tread separating from the casing. I had a casing fail after many years
of use. Maybe the special roller would help with that, but it doesn't
seem very important to me.

John, what is the make & model of your trainer?

It's a Computrainer at the moment, plus I've got a Blackburn and a
Minoura for use at events/travel. But the comments I made about tire
wear a applicable to most trainers.
--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:36:02 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:53 GMT, Martin <[email hidden]>
wrote:

>I have been told by an LBS that the elastogel rollers of Elite trainers
>cause *much* less tyre wear than other (alloy) rollers. I see that some
>of the sales pitch for elastogel claims a 20% reduction in tyre wear.
>Can anyone with experience on this issue enlighten me further please? I
>weigh about 62 kg (136 lb) and want a trainer for use with a road bike
>(700c x 25 tyres) once or twice a week during winter and when the
>weather is bad (as it has been in Sydney for the last week or two). I
>know about rim-drive trainers but I think they are limited to magnetic
>resistance systems and I want to get a fluid trainer.

I get zero, or almost zero tire tread wear on a trainer anyway, so I'm
not sure that 20% reduction would matter to me. It's important to set
up the trainer so that the tires do not slip -- slipping and rubbing
causes friction, which wears the tread.

Many people worry about hurting their tires and set the contact too
loose, which results in slippage and tread wear.

I suppose there are other forms of tire wear caused by the trainer,
such as the casing flexing and wearing out perhaps. Or maybe the
tread separating from the casing. I had a casing fail after many years
of use. Maybe the special roller would help with that, but it doesn't
seem very important to me.

John, what is the make & model of your trainer?

It's a Computrainer at the moment, plus I've got a Blackburn and a
Minoura for use at events/travel. But the comments I made about tire
wear a applicable to most trainers.

Thanks to all who replied to my post. John's posts were particularly
helpful.

Martin

--
Removed z before replying by email.