5 Proven Tips to Make Your Bike Trainer Quieter

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In this article, you find proven tips on how to make your bike trainer quieter. Some of them I tested myself, and some I learned from other riders worldwide.

If you have a tip you would like to share and contribute to the community, leave it in the comments section below.

Let’s dive in!

#1 TIP: Use Trainer-Specific Tires (Wheel-on Trainers Only)

Wheel-on trainers tend to be noisier than high-end direct-drive trainers. The rear wheel of your bike is set against the cylinder, and the friction between these two parts creates noise and vibrations.

If you use your wheel-on trainer with knobby tires (typical for mountain or gravel bikes), the noise is worse than with smooth road bike tires.

That’s why manufacturers developed smooth, trainer-specific tires made of different materials than standard bike tires.

These tires reduce the noise and improve the traction, so they won’t slip when you start pushing hard.

Another benefit of using trainer-specific tires is that you save your expensive road bike tires because wheel-on trainers can eat them pretty quickly.

Or browse the best bike trainer tires…

TIP: You can also use used tires for your trainer instead of trainer-specific tires, but you won’t benefit from lower noise.

#2 TIP: Use Trainer Mat

Pedaling on bike trainers creates vibrations. These vibrations cause unpleasant noise that you want to avoid.

A quality trainer mat doesn’t have to be expensive but helps absorb these vibrations and, therefore, reduces the trainer’s noise. Furthermore, it protects your floor against scratches and damage by sweat.

Here is an example of a popular bike trainer mat from Cycling Deal.

Main Features

• 60×30 inches [152×76cm]
• Made of odorproof PVC
• 0.24in [6mm] thick
• Non-slip bottom

CHECK PRICE

OR

BROWSE BIKE TRAINER MATS

#3 TIP: Lube Your Bike’s Drivetrain

Riding indoors doesn’t mean you don’t have to take care of your bike’s chain. You should lube it properly with a chain lube to increase its longevity and reduce wear and noise.

There are dry lubes, wet lubes, and wax lubricants. According to Zwift, the best lubricants for indoor training are “traditional” wax lubricants because they keep your drivetrain (and floor) clean. However, the dry lubes are fine too.

Rock N Roll Gold and Squirt Wax Dry Lube are also great options for lubing your bike chain.

#4 TIP: Build a Vibration-Absorbing Platform

There are a lot of tutorials on how to build a DIY vibration-absorbing platform. These tutorials are usually created by drummers, but their goal is the same as yours – reduce vibrations and noise as much as possible. The only difference is that you put your bike trainer on them instead of a drumset.

If you are not as skillful or you simply don’t have time to build a complex platform, stack a few interlocking rubber tiles on top of each other and put your trainer on them.

The stack will raise your rear wheel, so you may also take advantage of a front-wheel riser that levels your bike into a more comfortable position.

#5 TIP: Get a Quieter Bike Trainer

This is probably the last option if your current bike trainer is too noisy, and the tips mentioned above did not help to reduce the noise to an acceptable level.

Bike trainers’ technology has progressed a lot in recent years. Direct-drive trainers are as quiet as a level of normal conversation (60dB). In the end, your bike’s drivetrain makes more noise than the trainer itself.

You don’t even have to spend $1000 on it. Look at the following table to get a better idea about the prices of bike trainers.

If you need some assistance with choosing a bike trainer, I recommend reading my how-to choose a bike trainer guide. If you know what to look for, feel free to browse my roundups of the best bike trainers on the market.

Summary

Do you know any other tips that make bike trainers less noisy? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Bike Trainers Noisiness FAQ

Preview picture source: Wahoo Fitness