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Permalink Reply by K Stephens on November 22, 2008 at 6:03am

it will take some trial and error to get it just how you want it. for my cyclops trainer, i usually get the tire and drum so they are just touching then do two full turns of the dial to get a nice level of resistance. find whatever works for you for the kurt kinetic and keep doing it every time. try to keep your tire pressure consistent too. if you start to burn too much rubber off your tire, look at getting a cheap, hard rubber tire or they also make trainer specific tires that don't wear down.

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Permalink Reply by J on November 23, 2008 at 2:45am

Vando, it sounds like something might be wrong with the resistance unit. Kurt's customer service is really quite good, and they are based in Minneapolis, so I'd just give them a call.

The other thing about these trainers is that they feel quite different from other brands. But usually the compaint is the opposite -- resistance is too low. I would go to the shop you purchased and try their demo unit and also compare this with another trainer there, like a Cyclops or Minoura.

On the point of slipping, remember that you can't really overtighten the unit, as you can go 2-3 turns past tight. One thing is that dual compound and/or narrow tires will always suck on trainers and you will get better traction with a slick/wide tire or better yet, a high traction trainer specific tire like those from Continental, Tacx, Minoura.

Lastly, since you control the resistance of these units by shifting... when sprinting you might try spinning up in a lower gear and then shifting.

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Permalink Reply by Anne on November 24, 2008 at 2:54am

Assuming you bought a new unit?
Otherwise, make sure rear tire is inflated as you would for the road, and that it is clean (wipe down with alcohol).

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Permalink Reply by Vondo on November 24, 2008 at 1:08pm

Thanks guys, I can see that it could be a combination of things, shifting my weight forward a bit, and not being patient enough to find the right level of resistance. Also, the tip about the special training tire is appreciated. I assume it would be those orange ones I sometimes see at the shop, I'll look into it. I am glad this town has a site like this, great resource!

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 29, 2008 at 4:16am

Does contact with the drum skip at all, or is it consistent? If it skips, your wheel might be slightly out of round. I've got that problem right now. Gotta get my wheel trued!

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