TACX Trainer Tyre for Wheel-on Indoor Bicycle Trainers

The iconic blue trainer tyre from Tacx - A product that has great reviews by owners. Today I jump on board and see what these are all about. They're said to be quieter, cooler, grippier, and most importantly they'll save your good tyres for race day. My tests didn't tick all the boxes when comparing it to a Roubaix Pro... but it was still a very worthwhile purchase.
Links:
Tacx Blue Trainer Tyres (Amazon US): amzn.to/2HtyqpK
Tacx Offical Site: goo.gl/Jh5SqF
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[@davidrowe8747]

"It gripped like a hungry monkey onto a banana" - I wish the TV cycling commentators used more of these Aussie metaphors! ;-)

[@richardhutchings1980]

I had one of these tyres. It rocked. I bought a cheap shimano rear wheel for training on my wheel on trainer. That way you can save your better wheels and tyres for race day. Good video.

[@BIGDO13]

I just love the way the Tacx trainers look... such great engineering and aesthetics on them...

[@basvredeling]

Thanks for the test, quite surprising results. My personal experience with trainer-specific tires is that it makes a huge difference in both noise (quite important) and wear. I've had a Vittoria Zaffiro pro trainer tire (red) and a Tacx trainer tire (blue). Quality feels similar, I think the Zaffiro is a bit more quiet. Only downside is they're quite expensive. Oh, and as others are saying, they crack / dry out quite quickly on the side walls, not on the rolling surface though. I also used a spare rear wheel for indoor training specifically with the trainer tire mounted permanently. Pretty convenient if you have an extra set of wheels. Now I switched to direct drive, which is incomparable with regards to noise and feel. But if you're stuck to tire-on trainers I can fully recommend doshing out for a trainer tire.

[@s2s2s1s1]

you're the fastest tire fixer of the universe!!!!

[@fergusfitzgerald977]

I used to use a dedicated trainer Specialised tire years ago on my home trainer. It was orange and overall was a better experience than using a normal tire. Would recommend these tires if you are a keen indoor trainer user.

[@RomansFiveDotEight]

I broke a (very cheap) wheel a couple years ago on a Kurt Kinetic road machine. I needed so much tension to keep it from slipping on the road tire I was using. I bought a trainer tire, a new super-cheap rear wheel, and because I was forced to (clearly, my wheel broke) a nice set of Ultegra rims for outdoor use only. Same cheap-o wheel as before has been going strong for two winters now, no problems. And a lot less tension. (I've since upgraded trainers, but on the Road Machine, definitely way less tension)

[@mjv1967]

I used a single Continental (orange) trainer tire for 13 years. Still going strong when I got my smart trainer. They are what is required for indoor training. But you need to keep them well inflated (100psi +) or it will shed rubber like an eraser.

[@markganzer]

My Continental trainer tire also lasted several years on the Kurt Kinetic. Not sure what the value is getting the tire from the trainer company (except to be "matchy match"). They will just be OEM'ing it from a tire company, so why not get it from the tire company instead?

[@EJD2012]

I always thought the blue trainer tire just marketing nonsense. I used my outdoor tires - first a Continental GP, later a Continental 4000 - on my Tacx (Genius), and never had a problem. Bought new tires in spring, used them outdoors during summer, and then used them indoors in winter. Last year I bought a new bike, and put the (cheap) OEM wheels and tires on my old bike, which I then used for indoor training. With this cheap tire (a Mavic Aksion) I got slippage - in fact I could simply not get to the Radio Tower in Zwift. Conclusion: whether the blue tire is an improvement depends on what tire you use otherwise. (The Genius has a 40 mm roller, vs. a 30 mm roller on the Vortex. This might make a difference as well).

[@Stormbringer1984y]

I recommend to use old summer tyre. tried to use tacx trainer tyre for 5000 km on bushido. after 5k km there is thin metallic wires from tyre that puncture 2 tubes and i return to my old standard street tyre after that event. save your old tyres and use it with trainer. cheap and effective. I can show photos if interested

[@hotdog9025]

The turbo specific tyre has a higher melting point and doesn’t melt all over the roller from the friction generated that softer lower melting point road tyres will have.

[@rickchalton]

I stopped using my Tacx blue tyre as it seemed to chew through inner tubes. Had a spate of punctures when using the turbo - so frustrating! Changed to an old GP4000 and punctures stopped. Everything was clean and even tried using a tyre liner, but, no luck for me.

[@TheUnrevealer]

My general opinion about trainer specific tyres is their overheat resistance.I tried using cheap or old standard road tyres, and it was ok. Only problem was frequent inner tubes failing. Never with trainer specific tyres. Noise or slipping never happened with either.

[@JudgeBee]

3:20 cypress hill

[@markusmencke8059]

Nice. I used the blue Insider from Schwalbe before I got my Tacx Neo. No problems with that tire.

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

hahaha I put electrical black tape on the tire middle section all the way around. Also some black tape on the bike trainer roller and no more tire damage. Works great on my 50$ indoor bike trainer.

[@mneri84]

Nice. I’ll try this since all trainer tires are currently sold out in the states

[@mneri84]

Three weeks later it’s holding up.

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

@@mneri84 lmfao nice cheap and it works I have no complaints. Once you start to see it wearing down just add another new strip it’s cheap. The key is to add tape around the metal roller so these 2 tape sides from tire and roller slide across each other.

[@stuartyb65]

Shane you made it look dead easy to to put that tire on . I've just spent an hr wrestling with one to get it on to the rim they are a bastard to fit. Maybe you should do a wee video in the future showing us some hacks for fitting tight tires 😭

[@gplama]

That footage was sped up... a lot. :) That's something I can tackle in a video for sure. There's a lot of people in the 'don't use levers' camp who'll get all angry about my method... but some tyres are, as you say, purely bastards when it comes to fitting. Cheers for the suggestion. Stay tuned! :)

[@nicholassmith831]

Shane Miller - GPLama a video tackling how to fit a new tyre would be a godsend. i too have struggled for a couple of hours today. the new tyre just isnt keeping shape and wont stay in

[@Mindblower008]

Aha! You mention euro’s now! Thank you shane!

[@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294]

I was going to ask do you need a special training tube for use with training tyre. As I punctured a standard road tube on my 2nd ride use the tacx blue tyre. However watching your video showed me that you put you used the same tube 👍🏻

[@gplama]

Yep. Normal tube. You just have to be sure the rim tape is good quality and there are no sharp edges where the valve is. 🚲👌🏼

[@kevwells]

Look at the F1 pit crew tyre change, dam your quick!!

[@thomasnegrel]

Question for Shane: What is the right pressure with these tire? I use a Saris M2 and a Tacx tire usually set at 100psi but I keep getting punctures. May be because I do a poor job setting the tube but I wonder if I am just inflating the tire too much

[@gplama]

100-110psi. Sounds like an issue with the rim / rim tape? Check there's no rough edges around the valve insert too.

[@thomasnegrel]

@@gplama Thanks a lot, will recheck the rim tape

[@marlonpdot]

Mine has always slipped. I end up using the regular road tires for the trainer.. usually find the cheapest ones and they work just fine.

[@sayeretjoez9297]

Love the scientific reviews! Good job!

[@simonramirezgarces]

Is it worth having an extra rear wheel with cassette so you don't have to be changing tyres every time you ride in an out?

[@gplama]

Yes... but then it's easier to go for a direct drive indoor trainer.

[@simonramirezgarces]

@@gplama thanks for the reply. Love all the content in your channel. Keep it up!

[@DilbertMuc]

You get them for around EUR 20,- in Europe (e.g. 22,90 @ Rosebikes). The good thing is that this tire has very hard rubber and thus only little abrasion (in the living room). Hard rubber is more inelastic than soft one and thus more deforming heat is produced which explains your data. I never cared about that. But a clean room after training increases the WAF factor dramatically. (WAF= Woman's Acceptance Factor). ;)

[@JogBird]

i just use old tires, cheap and i always have a supply on hand

[@mpk2707]

I previously used the tacx tire on my tacx fortius but found it slipping a lot, like way too much. I then changed to the Vittoria tyre and the slipping was almost gone.

[@Ed-qv2qd]

I feel like for this product you really need to have been using your on-wheel trainer for a few months with a standard tires and then switch to this tire to have a sense of whether or not it provides a better experience. The one thing which Im going to suggest may have had an impact on your testing is the clamp tension on the wheel. Seems like the tension is done more to feel so I'm guessing the pressure from one test to the other was not exact which would impact temp and noise.

[@yltsrc]

overheat leads to constant slow punctures, get rid of 5 conti tubes after each have about dozen patches (half of the punctures was on home trainer) and finally today my tacx trainer tire exploded after about 3 years of use

[@lastpme]

Finally made the switch…the trainer tire made a huge division…slipped stopped.

[@KellyanneGill]

Hi Shane, just wondering what ype of trainer would you advise for a flat bar road bike, drive trian info Shimano Sora 9x2

[@gplama]

There's a few options but it really depends on budget and what is compatible with your bike. The best place to start is your local bike shop(s). Drop in with your bike and they should be able to assess exactly what you need for the budget you're working with.

[@paulahavens2764]

I was thinking why not just peddle? Why use the thing that presses against the tire? I have a Catrike Trail and as long as the back wheel is off the ground I can shift for resistance.So my thought is just put the trike in the trainer but do not use the resistor. So I tried it and it works just fine. I still am getting exercise and having fun.Any thoughts about this. Thanks for sharing

[@gplama]

Typically a bicycle is setup to be as efficient as possible. So when there's no resistance on the wheel, it'll spin freely. You'll get a good leg spin.... but that's about it. It won't give enough resistance to build muscle or challenge your cardio systems.

[@paulahavens2764]

Shane Miller - GPLama thanks will try and connect the resistance.also thanks for replying.

[@paulahavens2764]

@@gplama I found that there is a kit you can buy for 20-inch tires thanks for your suggestion. You have great videos.

[@Bournefort]

Going from a road tire to the blue Tacx tire was WAAAY quieter for me. Everything else seemed similar.

[@leeraines598]

Hi shane. I've have rode 800 km on my tacx trainer tyre and it seems to be wearing prematurely. The side walls are cracking and has a few small splits in different spots. First time using a smart trainer and i do have some vibration through the bike that i have put down to my bike.

[@gplama]

I'd get photos and send them though to Tacx or where you purchased the tyre for review.

[@phillipdeluca9930]

Do you use a power meter? Or is it just the trainer?

[@gplama]

It will report power from the trainer. For more accuracy it is better to use a power meter on the bike.

[@NathanBudd]

Interestingly, the trainer and tire stays bang on 200w in erg mode, whereas the Vector 3's are drifting downwards

[@gplama]

That’s because ERG was set on the trainer. The Vectors were the real power.

[@NathanBudd]

Shane Miller - GPLama Makes sense.

[@davidattrill3786]

Only just watched this vid. Just put of curiosity, are you using a carbon bike on this trainer? I'm reluctant to use mine...

[@gplama]

Zero issues with this. If carbon bikes broke on indoor trainers, it’d be a meme and there would be photos posted all over the Internet.

[@davidattrill3786]

@@gplama Thanks for the reply!

[@andreaswalkendorff6734]

I never use Zwift anymore and instead use ROUVY. Ever tried and tested it? Would be nice to see what you think. It´s really nice with videos instead of animation... Only thing with it is that the calibration within Rouvy don´t work with my Tacx trainer (ironman). Nothing happens when pedaling, so I allways have to calibrate with the Tacx software instead.

[@jeskli11]

I have different experience with Schwalbe Insider (looks very similar and it's also made for turbo use only). Before I bought it I used the chepest tyres from Mitas, which were already used for some 400 km or so outdoors. There was some slippage with them and they were noisy, but the main thing was the overheating. I had like four or five puctures, before I bought the Schwalbe. After I placed it on the wheel, all of those problems went away. Maybe it could be different if you had some more expensive standard tyre than my Mitas, but with my setup the temperature difference was (just my thoughts) at least 20°C lower for both the tyre and the roller of my trainer (I have Force Coach 600W, probably the chepast turbo trainer you can buy). I'm really happy that I bought it.

[@philadams9254]

It was hotter because it is sending the heat outward, rather than into the innter tube, affecting the pressure. IOW, the heat is not absorbed.

[@kiverrussell8369]

Firstly, nice socks! Secondly interesting insight into wheel on trainer warm up and calibration - I'm not sure how many people that do regularly calibrate would give the trainer a good 15 minutes before doing so!? I've noticed it takes that long to get my fluid trainer up to temperature with a crude, specific gear/rpm test I've noticed my power (measured by a power meter) output builds from 225W cold up to 300W for the same gear/rpm before settling down to around 285W after a good quarter of an hour. Thirdly trainer tyres...hmmm. I can totally see if you have a specific problem with wear or grip then it's worth giving them a go but otherwise it seems like a big faff and expense for little gain. For someone like me, running one wheelset, the faff factor is obviously hugely inflated. Personally, with not racing, I have always used robust road tyres (currently Specialized Espoir Elites) as they get me through a whole year with just a couple of punctures and wear very well. Last year I rode for 10,500km (378 hours) with 4,500km (137 hours) being on a fluid trainer on Zwift. My rear tyre got me through 11 months and around 9500 of those kms before getting down to the wear indicators. I'm happy with that and will stick with a normal tyre and giving it a quick wipe down when going from outdoors to indoors. It's possible my experience is skewed by, what might be, a particularly easy going, weight on, fluid trainer (basic Elite Crono Fluid) as I've got nothing to compare it with. Anyway thanks for the insight, interesting as ever.

[@janvanderwegen01]

Shane, how come you have 2 front wheel blocks?

[@gplama]

More is better! ;) Those don't have a lot of height in them, so I double up.

[@Cyclingchoice]

Use Cyclops raiser Shane, its huge and has many levels of heights.

[@gplama]

The Kickr Climb isn't far away :)

[@thenerdycanadian7172]

i've got Elite's offering and idk what it is but even after 250km indoors I can still get it to slip, even after tightening it down to the point its compressing the sidewall...might just be that my fluid trainer has a metal roller?

[@gplama]

Hmmm... maybe. Elite use the ElasoGel. www.elite-it.com/en/innovations/elastogel

[@paulahavens2764]

Does the blue trainer tire come in twenty-inch tires for recumbent trikes?

[@gplama]

I'm not sure. Jump over to the Tacx website and check their inventory/items.

[@szabiakanich]

I use the exact same setup (Vortex + blue tyre). Good combo. Speaking of the Vortex, I have major Bluetooth issues in conjunction with my iPad. Sometimes it takes 4-5 minutes until they connect and during my ride on Zwift it often loses BT signal. Anybody else notice similar issues? I am on the latest Vortex firmware and the latest iOS version. Also it’s not just Zwift, since I also tried the Tacx Cycling app and that has issues as well.

[@davejones3134]

Shane can you investigate the use of rocker plates with indoor training ?

[@gplama]

I can.... but I just can't get them here in Australia. I don't have the time to build my own at this point. Fingers crossed I can get a hold of something soon.

[@mpk2707]

I used to put my hometrainer on a piece of 2cm thick wood. drilled holes in the wood and tie-strapped the trainer to the plate. I then found an old foam mattress with a thickness of roughly 8cm and cut a square out at the same size as the wooden plate. TADA you now have a rocker!

[@michwoz]

I had two of those. They fell apart rather quickly :/ Maybe I had some bad batch. The best trainer tyre I had so far is... old Continental Ultra Sport II 28mm.

[@gplama]

I tore a hole in a Conti Ultra Sport 23mm on a Fluid 2, one ride. I loved those for outside rides.... super short life indoors and out. I'll assume they fixed that up with the II model.

[@GuitaristBoi9]

Hey Shane, do you still sell ANT+ stick?

[@gplama]

No, sorry.

[@NathanBudd]

Any reason you use two riser blocks?

[@gplama]

More height. And I don’t have the Kickr Climb yet.

[@fiddleronthebike]

can't see any reason to buy these tires... I use the GP4000 and have never had any problems. Don't get warm, grip is good, and wear is no issue at all - in fact they last significantly longer on the trainer than on the road... so why buy an extra tire???

[@gplama]

Your mind is made up... so I won't try persuade you otherwise. For others reading - As mentioned in the video, the tyre is clean. Nothing to screw up the surface of the roller. My experience with GP4000 indoors is they square off. But whatever works for people... it's all good. I hope this sheds more light on these as an option.

[@fiddleronthebike]

hm... mine don't square off - may be it comes down to the material of the roller drum; mine is metal (old Tacx trainer...); 10659 km with the GP4000's now and they are still ok!

[@gplama]

This was on Fluid2 and Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. Both metal. Could be roller size, pressure in the tyre, pressure on the roller. Lots of variables. The CBF variable is a big one.... I never used a trainer tyre when I was on a wheel-on trainer before all these direct drive ones came along.

[@fiddleronthebike]

...and btw, the diameter of the trainer drum is 50 mm, not 40 or 30 as with the new models - that may make a difference too...

[@fiddleronthebike]

similar thoughts at the same time... ...and if I buy a new trainer, it will be a direct drive model, so I don't worry about that thing 😀

[@adamashwill8671]

Can you ride on the road with that tire?

[@theOtakuCyclist]

Matchy Matchy ... Socks & Turbo Well played ⚡️👊🏼⚡️

[@Skat3Juan]

can I put my bike with 148mm axle on it ?

[@gplama]

Likely. I haven't attempted this myself. One for Garmin/Tacx support.

[@BIGDO13]

Cypress Hill being bumped in the background @ 3:23

[@gplama]

Yyeeeahhh! You picked it!

[@andreaswalkendorff6734]

Have the same tyre on my Tacx Ironman. What pressure do you use? I have 110 PSI. Have to inflate almost every time I ride... and then of course re calibrate. A little bit annoying.

[@gplama]

100psi. It'd be the tube losing air by the sounds of it (latex?)

[@andreaswalkendorff6734]

Thanks for answering. Can´t remember which tube, but it usually just goes down to 100 psi... I will maybe just let it be there and see if it looses more preasure next time.

[@JakeStarMan]

I just want to know how much pressure to put on the tyre.... I currently use this trainer and it's giving off terrible watts when I ride. FTP is 160 and for me to get any higher I literally have to kill myself and I can just tell something is off and I'm sure it's the tyre on the roller

[@TheCrossroads09]

It's blue!

[@bee_whisper]

what ever happend to the singlespeed scott

[@gplama]

Nothing. I still have and ride it.

[@antonpeterson1245]

Correct me if I'm wrong Shane but essentially you are only buying the trainer tyre for its grip? Not sure if that justifies the price in my opinion and it just confirms in most ways what DC Rainmaker said about trainer tyres also.

[@J0llygiant]

Looks to me you had way to much pressure on the tyre at the resistance unit.

[@gplama]

The calibration app says otherwise.

[@J0llygiant]

Shane Miller - GPLama That's interesting as when I calibrated my vortex i had to slacken it right off and put hardly any pressure on the tyre

[@pam00088]

I have a Continental equivalent that has been great but man oh man is it difficult to fit! My hands and at least two tyre levers were ruined the first time. In the end I bought a dedicated trainer wheel just so I wouldn't ever have to swap the tyre again.

[@AndroMuteli]

Hi, Shane. On every training tyre writing "don't use on road". May be you can make test near house what will be? (im living in russia with snow, cant do it, sorry) I think it will be fun)

[@gplama]

No. I won’t be riding this outside.

[@bokamstrup3101]

The Tacx tyre is very noisy compared to Continental's trainer specific tyre

[@sad-womeninthehouse4249]

So like I got this, what is suppose to be a super high tech thing, it didn’t last a month. Tf

[@gplama]

Return it under warranty, as you're entitled to do.

[@dannymatthews8900]

Indoor trainer tyres are a waste of money. No different to a road tyre. And let’s face it us cyclist have plenty of worn tyres around