Trainer Grinding

Hi guys. I’m new here and new to the joys/horror of smart indoor training. I set up my Smart trainer last night (Elite Direto) and the drivetrain was making an horrendous grinding noise that in could feel through the pedals and at the derailleur. I determined that it was the old chain on my bike being more worn than the brand new cassette I had fitted to the trainer. When I tried the cassette off my bike on the trainer, the problem went away.

So how do you guys With just 1 bike manage the situation… I can’t swap the cassette from my bike to the trainer every time I want to use it, and then back again if I want to go out for a ride… I was thinking of a new chain to see if it will run on both the trainer and my bike, but I’m worried it will skip on the older cassette on my bike. If I replace the chain and the cassette on my bike, so it’s new on both bike and trainer, surely one will wear differently to the other, and I’ll be in the same position in a few months time. Is is feasible to use a direct drive trainer when u only have a single bike?

Change the cassette and chain on your bike. Stay on top of maintenance, and change the chain when it gets worn. A cassette should last a lot longer than a chain, but a worn chain will destroy a cassette very quickly.

1 Like

with @splash
your chain/cassette on your bike are probably due for replacement anyway, just do it now so you can enjoy your new trainer and ride your bike with a simple swap like it is supposed to