As I mentioned in my previous post I have been doing a lot more riding on my indoor trainer. After I had been riding on a regular basis I decided to switch out to a Continental Home Trainer Tire. This tire is made specifically for riding on a trainer and can not be ridden outside. Riding a standard tire on your trainer will greatly decrease the life of the tire and flatten it out, making it less then desirable for your outdoor riding.
I’ve never used a trainer specific tire in the past. I’ve always just used older tires or a cheap tire I didn’t care about. Boy was I missing out. The trainer tire is much smoother and offers a very consistent feel on the trainer. You don’t get the slipping sensation or loss of contact feeling I’ve experienced in the past with a standard tire.
Installing it was another story. It is by far the hardest tire I have ever installed. It took myself and some help from Amanda to mount the tire. When I came back to the store and commented on that to John the next day he just chuckled and said “Yeah we forgot to tell you that.”
Nathan had been riding one on his trainer and has also been impressed with it. John and Nate had the same experience mounting the tire as I did. Nathan also commented to me about the noticeable difference in the ride quality on the trainer.
The only down side I can see to this tire is that it can’t be ridden indoors and out. So if you have one bike and go from inside to out that could be a pain. One solution would be a separate wheel but that offers challenges as well depending on your set up. I haven’t tried to remove my tire yet and it is very possible it will have stretched making it easier to remount.
At about $45 I think it is a good investment since it will certainly last longer then two twenty dollar tires and the added ride quality is certainly worth it.
I’d love to hear what you think about the tire.
