Q&A: Indoor trainers, Cliff House tandem

Q: Hi Jim - I have an indoor trainer question that I always wanted to ask. How tight should you crank the roller against the tire? I think that I probably have it too tight.

Thanks!

DP

A: That's a good question because it's easy to get it too loose or too tight and how you set it effects traction and tire wear. Ideally you want to get it just tight enough so that the roller doesn't lose traction when you pedal hard. If you get squeaking it's because it's not tight enough and the tire is slipping. (Be sure to first fully inflate your tire.)

Of course, whether it squeaks or not during pedaling depends on how hard you ride on your trainer. If you apply steady pressure on the pedals the roller usually won't slip even if it's not overly tight. But, if you're doing repeats (intervals) on the trainer, where you ride easy then accelerate hard, and repeat, you will need it tighter against the tire so it doesn't slip.

I usually make sure my tires are fully inflated, mount the bike on the trainer and then screw the roller against the tire (I ride a Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll Trainer). I then grab the wheel and pull it up and down, and tighten the roller until there's no slipping at all. At this setting you'll have the traction needed without pressing the roller so tighly against the tire that you wear it out too soon.

Keep in mind that all trainers wear tires more quickly so I now use a special tire made only for trainer use, Continental's Home Trainer. It's made of a harder rubber designed to hold up to the trainer roller so that you can save your good tires for road riding (the Home Trainer is not for outdoor use). Some people simply install inexpensive tires on their bike for use on the trainer instead.

You didn't ask me about something else that's also important, and that's how tightly you mount your bike in the trainer. Most have adjustable mounts that hold the rear end of the bicycle off the ground by clamping the rear wheel quick release. It's important not to set this clamp too tight too. The way to get it right is to check how easily the wheel spins once you've mounted your bike in the trainer but before you've tightened the roller against the tire. Just give the wheel a push and make sure it spins freely. If it moves 1/2 turn and stops, it's probably because you have your bike clamped in the trainer too tightly.

It's pretty easy on most of them to set the clamp so that it puts so much pressure on your bike that it actually tightens the hub bearings on your rear wheel. That will make it harder to pedal and it can also cause bearing damage, so check for that and fine-tune your trainer clamp until it holds the bicycle securely but doesn't compress the bearings.

Lastly, people sometimes ask me if trainers can hurt bicycles. They worry that the bike is held in such a way that you might put forces on the bike on the trainer that could weaken or damage the frame or parts. It's a good question because there are all kinds of different trainer designs, but I've never seen one that could hurt your bike as long as you follow the instructions and mount your bike correctly. As I mentioned, you can wear tires more quickly and put too much pressure on the rear wheel bearings, but the frame and components aren't at risk from the trainer. You should take one precaution, though. Be sure to drape a towel over your bike if you're riding hard enough to start sweating because that can drip on your frame and components and over time, damage things via corrosion.

To great indoor rides!

Jim

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Q: Hi Jim,

I maintain a website about the famous Cliff House and I found a bicycle photo I was wondering if you could help me with. I'm curious what's with the double handlebar? FYI: This photo was definitely taken between 1896 and 1907 (based on the building).

Thanks for any help you can provide. I'll add it to the photo.

Gary

A: Cool photo, Gary. There are 2 handlebars on that bike because it's a tandem bike, a bicycle built for two. It's hard to see because it blends in with the man's clothes, but there's also a second seat on the bike. So, I would call that a circa 1900 men's tandem bicycles. One of the interesting features of tandems of this era is that they are steered by the person in back.

Today's tandem bikes are almost always steered from the front. To steer it from the back, the one in your photo has a linkage that lets the rear handlebars move the front wheel. You can see the linkage bar on the side of the frame. The person in front just goes along for the ride as the person in back steers. The people that rode this tandem had to be pretty darn fit because it only has one sprocket on the back and it's pretty small meaning a hard-to-pedal gear, especially if they were to have to ride up any of San Francisco's steep hills.

Those are a few notes that I hope are helpful. I'm afraid I can't see anything on the bike that tips me off to the brand or model. I would say that the man is dressed very nicely in cycling knickers, knee socks, leather shoes, gloves and a tidy cap. He appears to have the latest cycling fashions and may have been fairly well-to-do since the tandem and the cycling gear was expensive even in 1900, and a way to show off your stature in society. I suspect he was riding with another man, though, not a woman, since the front of the bike is a man's frame. If he was with a woman, the front of the bike would have had a sloping frame for the woman to get on and off easily.

If anyone sees this and can identify the make of the bike I'll keep you posted,

Jim

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Q&A: Adjusting cleats, tubeless slow leak, creaking

Q: I'm installing cleats on my new bicycle shoes and don't know how to get them in the right position. Can you help?

Thanks,
Dennis

A: Thanks for the question. It's important to get cleats right to prevent knee injuries and also to ensure you can get in and out of your clipless pedals easily. The diagram on the right shows the correct placement for cleats. It's from a page I have on my website where I explain how to find the right cleat position and give easy instructions that help you align and position your cleats in the right position. Click to learn more about cleat placement.

Hope this helps,
Jim
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Q: Hi Jim,
I recently purchased a set of Dura Ace 7850-SL wheels to use with tubeless tires in part because of your positive reviews. I've noticed that the only criticisms are from those folks who haven't ridden them - you, Zinn and others who know their stuff seem to like them a lot. So far, I've been very pleased, but I have a couple of questions that I'd greatly appreciate your advice on. I weigh 165lbs and the Hutchinson website indicates the following: 65 - 75 kg / 140 - 165 lb = 6 - 7 bars / 87 - 101 psi. That strikes me as higher pressure than I would have thought. What do you recommend (especially for someone who places a high emphasis on cornering grip)? Also, my rear tire seems to have a very slow leak. It always seems to lose 10 - 20lbs of pressure overnight. Should I use the Hutchinson Protect'Air? If so, how much (ml) should I use for a 700x23 tire?

Thanks in advance!
Mark

A: Thanks for the email, Mark. I'm about the same weight as you and I run 90psi in the front tire and 95 in the rear. I have run them lower on really bad roads, approx 87 in the rear, 85 in the front. Note that gauges are usually inaccurate so it's hard to know the exact pressures, but according to my gauges, that's a ballpark setting you could try that should work nicely. And, you can certainly experiment with lower pressure to see what's right for you and your roads. I would think you wouldn't want to run too much below what the company recommends, though. Usually if a tire is run too soft it tends to crack sooner but you could try it and see if you have any problems, too.

To figure out the slow leak, I would put water around the valve and see if that's what's leaking. I had trouble with one of mine. The little O-ring wasn't sealing well. I finally replaced the valve, which wasn't easy because I had to special order it from a bike shop and it took a long time. They don't seem to be available yet so the shop could only order them from Shimano direct instead of from their usual distributors.

You could also dip the wheel in a sink to try to spot a slow leak, but the only problem with this is that there are holes in the rim and the rim will take in some water and it's a pain to get it out. So, you should seal the holes first with little pieces of tape.

I'm assuming that you haven't run over a tiny piece of glass or wire that's causing the slow leak, too.

Some feedback I've gotten from others riding these tires is that theirs lose air overnight, too. I have only had this with the tire with the bad valve. The other tires hold air overnight but need a little air every few days like regular clincher tires with tubes.

I believe if you use Hutchinson's aerosol inflator you're supposed to use one per tire. That's based on them sending me 2 with 2 tires. They told me that there's a light sealant in there that will help seal the tire. I used it on one tire and didn't notice any difference, but some people swear that sealants fix flats and are worth using. I can't tell if it made a difference or not in sealing the tire or preventing flats. I have checked that tire and rim and haven't noticed any issues with sealant eating the rim (as I mentioned in my RBR article can be caused by Stan's sealants - or so Shimano says).

I hope this answers your questions and you enjoy riding tubeless as much as I do. Last week I flatted my front tire in a race and was able to ride 10 miles on it to the neutral support tent to get a spare wheel while keeping right up with the lead group I was in. I don't think I would have dared try that on my old regular clinchers. There was no damage to the rim.

Thanks again,
Jim
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Q: Jim,
I am not sure how much of a problem I am having with my bottom bracket. When I stand to climb I hear an awful lot of creaking noise. I have an aluminum frame Cannondale CAAD 4 with a Shimano Dura-Ace crankset. I am by no means a bike mechanic. Just like my car, I know where the gas goes and how to turn it on. So I don't know if this is just stress noise or if something is loose that can be tightened.

Thanks for your time and consideration,
Rob

A: Hi Rob,
Your crankset shouldn't make noise when you're riding. You probably have a loose crankarm or a loose bottom bracket, or if you wear cleated cycling shoes, you might have a noise coming from your pedals or cleats.

This article on my website goes into great detail on noises and you'll find a lot of common noises and solutions here including bottom bracket, crank and cleat noises.

Of course, you could also take your bike into any bike shop, describe the noise, ask the mechanic to take a test ride and he should be able to hear it and tell you what's needed right away and maybe fix it right away, too, for not too much money, even.

I hope this helps,
Jim
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