Advice on indoor training options

[mountian_hare]

I am trying to work out which square peg I should use for the round hole of indoor training. 
I have an older (2016) mountain bike (i.e. non-boost) and a set of rollers. 

I am ok using the MTB on the rollers, but neighbours have complained about the noise and the rollers are chewing through tyres. 

Options include finding a cheap wheelset to use with slicks on the rollers and keeping my current wheelset for MTB or building up a light weight wheelset for use on the mountain and keep the current wheelset for use with slicks or get a gravel bike for use on the rollers and potentially as a commuter bike. 

Otherwise I might be looking at this from the wrong end and rather to get a high quality wheel off trainer to use with the MTB. 

 

[Mamil]

45 minutes ago, mountian_hare said:

I am trying to work out which square peg I should use for the round hole of indoor training. 
I have an older (2016) mountain bike (i.e. non-boost) and a set of rollers. 

I am ok using the MTB on the rollers, but neighbours have complained about the noise and the rollers are chewing through tyres. 

Options include finding a cheap wheelset to use with slicks on the rollers and keeping my current wheelset for MTB or building up a light weight wheelset for use on the mountain and keep the current wheelset for use with slicks or get a gravel bike for use on the rollers and potentially as a commuter bike. 

Otherwise I might be looking at this from the wrong end and rather to get a high quality wheel off trainer to use with the MTB. 

 

Budget is key - IF you can lay down some cash a wheel off trainer is the way to go - just note you need to protect your frame, BB and pivots from the sweat that rolls off. 

Will solve your neighbour problem and make your indoor experience much more entertaining than the rollers.

I do a lot of my midweek rides on the indoor trainer, structured workouts and races - an hour at a time and it's big bang for less time investment.

If however, the indoor trainer is not an important part of your training and you have budget, then a second bike - a gravel one for commuting would be very nice to have too and would save your main bike from the corrosive sweating issue that indoor training brings.

 

[cadenceblur]

a great fan could assist a great deal on the sweating front.

[Bike Dewing]

21 hours ago, cadenceblur said:

a great fan could assist a great deal on the sweating front.

Doesn’t look fantastic but I have a micro fibre towel over my bars and a normal bath towel over my top tube and tied out the way of my pedal stroke.. and then they hang somewhere else to dry

[Sandro]

If you can afford a direct trainer then thats the way to go. Takes indor training from being a slog to a pleasure and you'll get real results.

[Mamil]

On 8/24/2024 at 1:26 PM, Bike Dewing said:

Doesn’t look fantastic but I have a micro fibre towel over my bars and a normal bath towel over my top tube and tied out the way of my pedal stroke.. and then they hang somewhere else to dry

3 fans in summer because I am a prodigious sweater. Towel on handlebar, wahoo top tube protector and another towel wrapped around seat post and tucked under saddle and there's still a puddle when I'm finished.

One day someone will take a photo of me on the trainer and disabuse me of the fantasy movie playing in my head while I try and drop some other Hungarian mamil on the Alp.