Trying to set up my mom on a fluid trainer. She has an older GT mountain bike that’s got 26×2.1 tires on it. I wanted to get her regular road tires for a better experience on the trainer, but she could still take the bike on the road.
I am seeing these 26” gatorskins. Would this width work, how to know? The rims look like the same width as my road bike, but I’m just not familiar with all the different standard sizes.
by BurntTurkeyLeg1399
8 Comments
I’d probably go fatter and cheaper. Thick Slicks maybe.
[https://www.benscycle.com/wtb-thickslick-tire—26-x-2-0–clincher–wire–black–comp-c484-wtb-k4434-tr1536/p?idsku=678589&](https://www.benscycle.com/wtb-thickslick-tire—26-x-2-0–clincher–wire–black–comp-c484-wtb-k4434-tr1536/p?idsku=678589&😉
Trainer tires exist that last longer with the heat generated on trainers. Continental and Vittoria have models available
the iso is correct 559 but the width 1.1″ is probably too close to the width of the rim.
it would likely work but would suggest a tire a bit wider than the rim for many reasons
[continental ride tour 1.75 ](https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/continental-ride-tour-26-inch) would be a good choice
Those are spendy for a trainer tire, and kind of narrow. 26×1.4 might be a little better, maybe this
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/michelin-protek-26-inch-tire?fltr=3750
Regular tyres will be wrecked fairly quickly on a trainer for that you need dedicated trainer tyres which are a good chunk heavier than regular tyres but they are that way because they are made strong enough for the job. As far as width it’s immaterial because on a trainer only a very small portion of the tyre at the centre of the tread touches so the rest is superfluous.
Continental has a 26” home trainer tire.
Regular tires, even gatorskins, will quickly wear out.
The roller in a trainer creates higher heat than normal road riding and you can also end up with tread separation.
If I were you I would go for a smooth Mnt bike type tire with rather than the 25mm road type tire.
If you’re an aspiring road rider I would look for a cheap road bike to start training on. If you’re just looking to hit trainer and roads for some fitness I’d think that smooth Mnt bike wheels would be the sweet spot for you.
Smooth is likely better for the trainer but tires specifically built for a trainer are best. No reason to spend money just to wear something out, prematurely.
A 28mm wide tire on a MTB is sort of a waste. Skinny tires might feel a little faster due to the reduction in mass but they are more comfortable as you run them at a lower pressure and they actually roll just as well, if not better than a skinnier tire. Even road bikes aren’t going below 28mm much these days. Not that I’m knocking 28mm, I think it’s a good width for a road bike but…
Also, the narrower the tire, the smaller the tire circumference as well, which makes the bike effectively smaller. Personally, I’d stick to around 2″, 40mm at the narrowest.. so 40-50mm ish. Road slicks are good if she’s sticking to pavement in the summer.