Turbo Trouble
With the weather varying from snow, ice and gale force winds since the turn of the year, I haven’t been able to hit the road and let the fresh air flow through my hair! OK for those of you that know me the last part is impossible to achieve unless I go to the same hair transplant clinic that Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs went to!
With the list of Sportives I’ve entered rising and gradually getting closer I can’t afford to lose all the hard work I did last year so it was time to dig out the trusty Tacx Satori Turbo Trainer and get those legs spinning.
Jan 2013 saw me start the year with two outdoor rides and two rear wheel punctures! Next the snow and ice arrived so it was turbo time which turned out to be just as unsuccessful as the first two outdoor rides. First turbo session and I was using my 3LC climbing DVD, 40 mins in and attacking the final climb with 10 minutes left to go, then BANG! My rear tyre had exploded! I had been using an old road tyre and not a turbo specific tyre and managed to wear the tyre down to the wire resulting in a blow-out. Just glad it happened on the turbo and not during a fast decent.
Blown tyre from 1st Turbo Session of 2013
It was time to bite the bullet and treat myself to a turbo tyre, something I thought I’d manage without. I ended up going for the Tacx turbo trainer tyre, not because it was blue, but because it’s a Tacx turbo trainer I use. OK the colour may have swayed the buying decision as it matches the colour of a certain lowly Scottish Division 3 team I support, but we won’t go there, well at least for another 3 years! I’ve always been a bit sceptical about turbo tyres and the need to use them but since purchasing it I would highly recommend it to anyone, not necessary the Tacx turbo tyre, just any turbo specific tyre. I have found that the Tacx turbo trainer tyre disperses the heat and helps to reduce the noise from the turbo which keeps my wife that little bit happier as I sit in her clean living room half naked dripping sweat all over the laminate floor. I’ll spare you the photos!!!
Second attempt at the Turbo Session of 2013 again came in January, this time with my new turbo tyre fitted and raring to go. Would this session be better than the last one? Surely it would since I’ve had two punctures and a blown tyre since the start of 2013, that’s the three things isn’t it? Sadly not! As I jumped on the turbo to start my session I only managed about 10 secs and 4 pedal revolutions before the session came to an abrupt halt as I somehow managed to snap my rear mech hanger! Yes you did read that correctly, YES I did somehow manage to snap my rear mech hanger while on the Turbo Trainer. It’s true what they say, “Special People Do Special Things“. My mum has always told me that I was special, now I’m beginning to think it wasn’t in the way I thought she ment!
My Snapped Rear Mech Hanger
So the moral of this long winded story is to check the setup of your bike and turbo trainer to prevent damage. Check that the rear roller of the turbo is pressing against the tyre enough that the tyre doesn’t slip when pedalling, but not too tight. This should help reduce heat build up on the tyre reducing wear and tear. Also check that when the bike is clamped in using the provided turbo skewer that the bike is held securely but not that tight that the frame is being compressed at the axle. Also check that all cables are free from the mechanism and gently try rotating the pedal and moving through the gears to check that it’s moving freely. Checking these things should help prevent you falling into the Special category that I seem to be the Managing Director of!
Thankfully February has been a much smoother month so far turbo wise. I’ve been getting up at 6am to rattle in a 50 min session before work, and touch wood it’s been uneventful mechanical wise so far!
If I have inspired you to prove how “Special” I am, and to prove that the normal punter can ride a stationary bike without breaking it, then check out our range of Turbo Trainers.
Should you require further information on our Turbo Trainer range then feel free to contact one of our non-special staff or if you’d like to find out everything that you could possibly break while using the Turbo then don’t hesitate to contact me as I’ve broke it all plus more!
Stuart
IT Manager
