# Which cheap rear wheel for trainer?



## anthonylokrn

Well winter is coming soon and I've decided to spring for a trainer.

Purchasing a Kurt Kinetic which will be shared by the girlfriend and myself.

Instead of having to always swap tires between two bikes, I've decided to setup a cheap trainer wheel which I can easily swap between both bikes.

Problem- I can't tell the difference between these 3 wheels:

http://catalog.bicycleoutfittersind...-ace19-black-shimano-2200-sku-we8623-qc53.htm

http://catalog.bicycleoutfittersind...b-freedom-ryder-black-rim-sku-we8617-qc53.htm

http://catalog.bicycleoutfittersind...-2200-alex-dc19-black-32h-sku-we8664-qc53.htm

Both bikes are 10-spd; one bike with rival group and the other with 105.


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## JSWhaler

You should be able to get a crap wheel for under $50 shipped. Just buy the cheapest you can find. I picked up a Nashbar wheel for $45 shipped a year or so ago. Put on a cassette and was using old tires till my inlaws bought me a trainer tire (heavy orange thing), which is quieter and lasts much longer.


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## anthonylokrn

JSWhaler said:


> You should be able to get a crap wheel for under $50 shipped. Just buy the cheapest you can find. I picked up a Nashbar wheel for $45 shipped a year or so ago. Put on a cassette and was using old tires till my inlaws bought me a trainer tire (heavy orange thing), which is quieter and lasts much longer.


Those are crap wheels and the price doesn't include the 25% off promo going on right now.


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## TomH

they're all kind of the same wheel.. straight gauge spokes, cheap rims, and 2200 hubs. they'll all work for 10spd. Id get the last one, just because its cheapest.


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## fran2537

Go for a heavy tire whatever wheel you pick. some trainers create odd hotspots.


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## andym

My wife and I bought cheap wheels for trainer use last year. One thing to watch is the rim width. Even with the brake release all the way open the rim wouldn't fit. I had to release some cable tension which made switching back to our outdoor wheels a pain.


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## krisdrum

I'd be more concerned about rear mech/cassette alignment going from bike to bike with the same wheel. More than likely, one of you will need to adjust the rear mech everytime you hop on the trainer.


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## anthonylokrn

krisdrum said:


> I'd be more concerned about rear mech/cassette alignment going from bike to bike with the same wheel. More than likely, one of you will need to adjust the rear mech everytime you hop on the trainer.


What do you mean by rear mech? RD?

We both have 11-28 cassette- mine being an SRAM Apex and hers a Shimano 105.


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## ziscwg

You are going about this all wrong

Get new wheels and use the old ones for the trainer.

Oh, and get a Conti trainer wheel. Da are da bomb


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## anthonylokrn

ziscwg said:


> You are going about this all wrong
> 
> Get new wheels and use the old ones for the trainer.


Yeah I wish. The girlfriend is not allowing me to spend a cent more after purchasing the Roubaix, Ruby, Stumpjumper FSR, KK trainer, Garmin Edge 500, Straitline platforms, and 105 pedals for both bikes.

Anyways, I ordered the cheaper rear wheel along with the Conti Hometrainer tire:
http://catalog.bicycleoutfittersind...-2200-alex-dc19-black-32h-sku-we8664-qc53.htm

Now time to pick up a cheap 10 speed cassette.


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## krisdrum

anthonylokrn said:


> What do you mean by rear mech? RD?
> 
> We both have 11-28 cassette- mine being an SRAM Apex and hers a Shimano 105.


Yes, your RD. Unless you are using the exact same freehubs on all the wheels, the chances are rather high that there will be subtle, but potentially crucial differences between how each bike's RD aligns with the existing wheel's cassette as well as the freehub/cassette on the new cheap trainer wheel. Those differences in an indexed system can lead to poor shifts and/or skipping or reduced gear availability.

You'll either need to adjust the RD when going back and forth from the trainer wheel to the outside wheel (probably just the barrel adjuster) or will need to use one wheel as the "benchmark" and shim the rest to be similar.


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## andym

We haven't had any problem with this. We both have Rival drivetrains. My outdoor wheels are Mavic Ksyrium Elite or Reynolds Assault and hers are Easton EA90SLX.


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## krisdrum

andym said:


> We haven't had any problem with this. We both have Rival drivetrains. My outdoor wheels are Mavic Ksyrium Elite or Reynolds Assault and hers are Easton EA90SLX.


And you are swapping between all three wheels without issue?

I'm a bit surprised if that is the case. At the very least it is something to be on the lookout for.

I have a number of different wheels and have definitely had to make adjustments when swapping them out. My preferred method at this point is shimming the freehub body, so it is more or less a quick in and out process and I'm back on the road.


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## andym

No problems at all other than brake clearance.


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