• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Use a Spare Wheel and Beater Tire on the Trainer

By John Marsh, Editor & Publisher

I bought a new trainer recently. When making the purchase online, I noticed that – like many others – the company offers a “trainer tire” for sale. (Their bread and butter are “old school” back wheel-on trainers.) I did not buy one of the trainer tires.

When setting up the trainerfor the first time, and getting my bike ready for it, I opted for another approach that added another element to the mix.

Where I live, it’s not unusual to have days, or stretches of days, pop up in the winter that allow you to ride outside. I wanted to make it as easy as possible to pull my main bike (which I prefer to use on the trainer) off and hit the road with little extra effort.

So, instead of buying that “trainer tire,” I just tracked down one of the tires I had used last winter and for most of the rest of last year. It had worn really well, but I had recently removed it in favor of some new rubber that I’d been meaning to put on anyway. (I tend to keep older tires around on a “just in case” basis.)

But instead of putting that tire on my everyday rear wheel, I also pulled out one of my lower-end backup wheels and installed the tire on that wheel.

Thus, I have both a training tire and a training wheel – keeping the good rubber and wheel at the ready.

When I decide to ride outside, I just pull the bike off the trainer, swap out rear wheels, and hit the road.


If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.

—John Marsh & The RBR Team

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Merlin says

    February 17, 2018 at 10:10 pm

    15 years ago I built up a cheap frame off eBay with just enough parts to work on my trainer. No brakes obviously. Cheap wheels, cheap everything else too. I do use the same brand/style saddle as my outdoor bike.
    That eliminated any excuse for not going to the trouble of setting up the trainer for a training session. It’s also easy to warm up before a strength training session.
    And yes, I have more than enough left over road tires for the trainer. Patched cuts, even large ones, aren’t a risk on the trainer as they would be on the road!

    Reply
  2. David Frost says

    February 18, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Great tip! Just did the same using an older rear wheel with a dedicated cassette and used tire in reasonable shape for my non-fender bike (fender bike gets most of the outdoor miles at this time of year).
    And like Merlin, I also use the trainer bike for warmup before a strength training session with one of the RBR-supplied e-books.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Newsletter Issue No. 1054
  • ‘Connect’ to Diet-Reverses-Diabetes Study: Even If You Don’t Have the Disease
  • My New Bike: Trek Checkpoint SL 5
  • Weak Muscles Predict Accelerated Aging, Disability and Death

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1054

Newsletter Issue No. 1053

Newsletter Issue No. 1052

Newsletter Issue No. 1051

Newsletter Issue No. 1050

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in