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Put the trainer on a flat, solid floor on a mat, fit the bike squarely and tighten properly, level the front wheel to match the rear axle height, set your tyre pressure if it is wheel-on, then place a fan in front of you and a towel over the bars. Check everything is tight before every session.
You need a flat, solid floor, room to get on and off the bike, somewhere for a fan, and ideally a window or door you can open.
Avoid a thick carpet: trainers want a firm base, and carpet pile lets the frame rock very slightly, which over an hour becomes a creak you will not be able to find. If carpet is all you have, a solid board under the mat fixes it.
Give yourself more space than you think. You will want to get off mid-session, reach a drink, and move a fan around.
A mat is not about noise, although it helps. It is about sweat, and sweat is remarkably destructive to floors, skirting boards and anything else nearby.
A proper trainer mat, an old yoga mat or a cheap rubber gym mat will all do. Make it bigger than the bike's footprint, because the drips land further forward than you expect, roughly under the bars.
Follow the instructions that came with your trainer, because clamping systems differ. Whatever the type:
Get in the habit of a ten-second wiggle test before every session. A bike that comes loose at 400 watts is genuinely dangerous.
Mounted on a trainer, the rear axle usually sits higher than it would on the road, which tips you forward and puts extra weight on your hands and perineum.
Put something under the front wheel to bring it back level. A purpose-made riser block is ideal; a solid book or a block of wood works. Aim to get the bike roughly horizontal, the way it sits on flat road.
This one change fixes a surprising amount of indoor hand numbness and saddle discomfort. See why your saddle hurts more indoors.
If the roller presses on your tyre:
Direct-drive trainers skip all of this, because the bike's rear wheel comes off entirely.
Yes, but put a firm board under the mat. Carpet pile lets the frame flex slightly, which causes creaking and makes the bike feel less stable.
Only for a direct-drive trainer, where the bike mounts straight onto the trainer's own cassette. Wheel-on trainers keep the wheel on.
High enough that the bike sits roughly level, the way it would on flat road. Most trainers raise the rear by a few centimetres, so you are matching that.
Roughly level is enough. What you are avoiding is being tipped noticeably nose-down, which puts weight on your hands and the front of the saddle.
That is the problem we are actually trying to solve. Turbo Trainer Games turns your watts into the controls of a browser game — your power flies the aircraft, climbs the mountain, pulls the sledge. Nothing to install, and it works with a smart trainer you already own.
It is in closed testing at the moment, so there is nothing to play yet. But you can put your name down.
Ask for early access