Menahem Fuchs Posted August 2, 2019 Share Hi, Does anyone know where I can have a Tacx indoor trainer serviced? I'm unable to correctly calibrate the trainer - no matter how tight I set the roller against the tyre, it still says it's too loose, and it severely under-reads power (it's a Bushido Smart wheel-on). It seems since Garmin bought Tacx in Feb, no-one is (officially) supporting the Tacx trainers in SA... ???? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey_Jones Posted August 2, 2019 Share Out of interest have you tried to calibrate it after you warm up the tire a little. maybe in winter the cold is keeping the tire stiff and slick? I Understand lots of pressure should over come that but just give it a try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterbean Posted August 2, 2019 Share What's your tire pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menahem Fuchs Posted August 2, 2019 Share Out of interest have you tried to calibrate it after you warm up the tire a little. maybe in winter the cold is keeping the tire stiff and slick? I Understand lots of pressure should over come that but just give it a try?I have, yeah, to no avail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menahem Fuchs Posted August 2, 2019 Share What's your tire pressure?110 PSI - as recommended by Tacx. I've tried at lower pressures as well, but the issue persists. The above "too loose" reading was at a ridiculously tight setting of the roller against the tyre - at a pressure that seems reasonable, the calibration marker is way to the left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-squared Posted August 2, 2019 Share Have you tried updating the firmware on the bushido? I recall I had some issue with the Vortex smart when I did have it and the update sorted everything out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertWhitehead Posted August 2, 2019 Share I cant even get my tacx app to calibrate - you're in better shape than me . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbbbbbbb Posted August 2, 2019 Share I cant even get my tacx app to calibrate - you're in better shape than me .I had same issue... after 10 min warm up it finally calibrates.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomo Posted August 2, 2019 Share What's the consensus on servicing moving parts of trainers - required or not.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andymann Posted August 2, 2019 Share We use Tacx Trainers in our Studio - Mostly Vortex and iVortex, as well as Flow and recently a new Flux, so know the product pretty well We find the Tacx Trainer tyres aren't great - we use the Continental Home Trainer tyres - 8b usually is good to go - the Tacx ones seem to get really sticky and then delaminate. Regaring calibration - often overlooked but there are two settings on the later Trainers, one for 29" MTB slicks and 720C Road tyres - there are little grooves in the back where the roller is - just check you are in the correct one - otherwise you will really strugge to calibrate. You cant really service them unfortunatly - well you can change the bearings on the roller but that is a bit of a mission! Gav1 and Bat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andymann Posted August 2, 2019 Share What's the consensus on servicing moving parts of trainers - required or not.?The older ones you can service, but the newer ones not so much. I've rebuilt all my Cateye CS1000's over the years - really easy. The later smart ones are a buit more tricky - but they seem really reliable - my personal Vortex has now done arount 11000kms and is fine - still nice and smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetplant Posted August 2, 2019 Share SNIP We find the Tacx Trainer tyres aren't great - we use the Continental Home Trainer tyres - 8b usually is good to go - the Tacx ones seem to get really sticky and then delaminate. SNIPSorry for the high-jack: What is the good rule of thumb regarding tyre pressures? I have had a couple of inner tubes burst a leak right on the section where the join is on the inner tube. So I thought that running them at a slightly lower pressure, 6bar, would reduce the stress on the inner tube. But, last night I had a fairly confusing situation where I did a roll down after 12mins warmup... did the 40min workout and then did the rolldown again at the end and the roll down value was waaaay off compared to the post-warm-up roll down. Which means all my power readings throughout the workout probably drifter to unusable values. Cherry on top is that it was a Ramp-test... so I can't use the computed FTP value. I suspect the "less-inflated" tyre has something to do with it. But where is the sweet spot typically? Should it be at the maximum inflation pressure when cold? (It is a Computrainer by the way) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andymann Posted August 2, 2019 Share Ok so before every ride we pump the tyres to 8b - using the same pump. I know it's pedantic but with an indoor trainer where you do sets based on a test you have done on that specific trainer consistency is key. Regarding the tubes - often they do tear and this is usually when the tyre is a bit under-inflated, gets warm and the tube then actually almost bonds to the inside of the tyre - when you brake, the trainer still "drives" a bit and the tube tears. This mostly happens with the blue Tacx tyre and of course on normal road tyres - they get hot really quickly. I ask the guys please not to brake at all on the trainers but to just let the roller slow them down. I also punch out a small rubber washer from an old tube and put it over the Valve stem - we've seen a few tubes these days tear where the valve joins and only on the trainers - so this washer seems to add a bit more insurance. Vetplant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andymann Posted August 2, 2019 Share Incidentally I'll be testing a Kickr this weekend to see what it's like. I wasn't overly impressed with the Tacx Flux. It's lovely and quiet compared to the wheel-on trainers but it's not driven so when you need to recover between intervals you still have to spin up a really big flywheel. I did an interval set on the Vortex and then two days later on the Flux and for the same HR values my Power was different by close to 80W - obviously I was using my Power values determined from the test done on the Vortex, which isn't good practice, but I still felt a way more smashed on the Flux than I did on the Vortex. The Flux reminded me a bit of doing a set on my old CS1000 Cateye! Edited August 2, 2019 by Andymann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menahem Fuchs Posted August 2, 2019 Share Have you tried updating the firmware on the bushido? I recall I had some issue with the Vortex smart when I did have it and the update sorted everything out.I have - I'm on the latest firmware Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menahem Fuchs Posted August 2, 2019 Share Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll try them all this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now