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Possibly daft question (or two) about Turbo Trainers...

by JimD666
Thu, Jun 15, 2017 14:43
8

Picked a Bkool Smart Pro trainer and so far I'm happy with it, and the wife is loving it.

Only issue I have is it's a pain to keep swapping the QR between the two bikes.

Is the QR axle that come with a trainer strong enough to stay on a bike permanently? If it is I can pick up a spare and just replace the factory installed ones. I have a sneaking suspicion this would be what is known as a "bad idea" though....

My other option is grab a cheap rear wheel and stick the QR on that and just keep swapping the rear wheel over. I can get a much cheaper rear wheel if I ignore the disc brake specific ones (both bike are disc equipped) and it's not like I actually need the brakes. Would this work or do I need a disc specific one (and an explanation as to why would be handy:) )

Cheers 1

Jim

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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macrophotofly | 7 years ago
1 like

As mentioned above trainer QR skewers tend to be heavier and stronger. They have to be compressed as well as hold the wheel in place so tend to be solid steel rather than hollow or a lighter material

Buying a second hand wheel that fits both your bike and your wife's is the best idea (you can then have a dedicated trainer-tyre on it too). However a couple of considerations -

  • If you are thinking of using a non-disc wheel on a disk bike be aware the width of the wheel hub is different. On QR disc bikes the hub is 135mm and rim brake bikes the hub is 130mm wide. Hence in most cases it won't fit
  • If you are thinking of using a non disc wheel or even a disc wheel without buying a disc, then be careful not to accidentally squeeze the rear brake. Without a disc there, on hydraulic self adjusting brakes, a brake squeezed will adjust itself and leave the pads stuck together (possible to fix but you have to gently prize the pads apart)
  • You can get cheap road 700cc or 29"MTB wheels (both are the same size) that would fit your bike - provding they are 135mm width and have a QR. See one example here - http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPGIROEQ/gipiemme-roccia-equipe-700c-29-inch-disc-wheelset

 

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TypeVertigo | 7 years ago
1 like

Turbo trainer QR skewers also tend to be an internal-cam design, so are better protected from the elements and provide clamping without having to do the lever up so tight. If you can stand the added weight, you can leave it on the bike no problem.

As far as I can tell, only Shimano and Campagnolo offer such internal-cam QR skewers these days, apart from those that come with turbo trainers. (The Shimano ones, at least, don't have ends that can work with a turbo trainer, though.)

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JimD666 | 7 years ago
1 like

Thanks all.

Wasn't sure whether the additional stresses of actually being on the road may of caused any issues with the QR. Happy to be wrong.

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fustuarium | 7 years ago
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The difference is the end of 'stock' QRs  can be plastic and so not strong enough to hold up the bike when the turbo clamps it. A turbo QR is the right shape for the clamp and metal. Mechanically they're the same. Only thing I ever do is check it's still tight enough before heading out just incase it's worked a little loose on the turbo (which it never has but no harm checking!)

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Swiss | 7 years ago
1 like

Just buy another turbo quick release

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alansmurphy | 7 years ago
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The QR on the turbo will be stronger than the standard as it is holding your weight in the air with the fixings being the pressure point...

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paulrattew | 7 years ago
1 like

It should be fine to leave the turbo specific skewer on full time. They tend to be pretty heavy weight compared to normal skewers, but if this isn't a problem for you (and frankly, we're talking a handful of grams) then go for it.

I use a seperate cheap wheel that I use for the turbo. The main benefit is that I can have a turbo specific tyre fitted to it, and a good road tyre on my main rear wheel. The turbo eats through nice tyres so It's worth having a proper turbo tyre.

If you are looking to pick up a cheap rear wheel to use with the turbo, you will probably need to get one that is disc specific. The spacing of the hub tends to be different on disc specific frames, so a rim brake wheel won't fit the frame properly.

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sergius | 7 years ago
1 like

I've no experience with turbos (my wife has banned the idea of bikes in the house), but I'd assume a new rear wheel would likely require RD indexing to shift smoothly unless both bikes have hubs with cassettes in exactly the same place.

 

Certainly I have to reindex mine when swapping rear wheels.

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