TURBO TRAINER FOR FIXED BIKE

I?ve just bought a 130mm fixed/freewheel and would like to buy a turbo-trainer for training indoors this winter.

The rear wheel is fixed with track nuts and all of the trainers I?ve looked at specify that they are only compatible with quick-release wheels. Can you recommend which trainers I can choose from?

Andy Parker, Felixstowe

Tacx makes axle nuts designed to fit securely into its range of trainers ? your dealer should be able to help. Since you have a 130mm-spaced frame (the standard road frame spacing), it should work on any trainer in its range without modification.

If you wanted to use a normal track bike with 120mm spacing with the Tacx range, it would be necessary to reduce the effective width of the trainer by moving the butterfly locknut that?s on the axle-holding bolt. It?s dangerous to use the trainer without this.

The normal position for the locknut is on the outside of the trainer frame. If you remove the locknut and the bolt altogether, you can then replace them with the locknut relocated to the inside of the trainer frame, the side nearer the bike. This will safely reduce the trainer?s operating width. (This won?t work on the Tacx Satori trainer, which isn?t recommended for use with track-spaced frames.)

Michael Hutchinson

Time trial hero. National champ at virtually every time trial distance in the book, Michael knows it all about the race of truth