How to fit Ribble bikes to indoor trainers

When the daylight hours grow ever shorter, and the weather closes in, many cyclists feel the most prudent course of action is to pop the bike in the trainer and take their rides indoors. Third-party apps like ZWIFT make keeping fit during the depths of winter a far more entertaining prospect and way more engaging. If you're not versed in the dark arts of axle design you may find sourcing the right trainer for your bike a hassle. Here, we outline how to fit Ribble bikes to indoor trainers.**

Whether you're looking to purchase a new trainer or simply wish to fit your Ribble bike to one you already own, it's highly recommended that you check compatibility first. Some older trainers may not be compatible with the current thru-axle standard. And even if it is, you may need adaptors to make it fit correctly.

A question we hear frequently is, "Can I use my Ribble bike on an indoor trainer?" Well, we have some good news. All frame models within the current Ribble lineup are perfectly safe to use on indoor trainers and will not affect your warranty. As long as the bike is secured according to the trainer manufacturer's guidelines, that is. Any failure caused as a direct result of incorrect fitment or accidental damage is liable to void your warranty.

To our knowledge, there is no brand or model of indoor trainer that offers compatibility with our e-bike range. Ribble e-bikes are equipped with the MAHLE X35 hub motor system, which uses a bolt-on style axle. The oversize nuts that secure the rear wheel to the frame may be too large a diameter to fit both wheel-in and wheel-out trainers. We aren't saying its impossible, but we have no direct experience of fitting this style of bike to the various trainers on the market.

A close-up of the Gravel AL e's rear hub clearly highlights the oversize wheel nuts that make this type of axle incompatible with indoor trainers.

This will depend entirely upon which type of bike you own and, more specifically, the means by which the rear wheel is secured. The two most common methods are the quick-release skewer for rim brake bikes and thru-axles for disc brake models.

We may be oversimplifying this slightly, but there are essentially two types of indoor trainers. The classic wheel-on trainer has been around for many years and is a great value option for anyone who wishes to train on a tight budget. The wheel-out trainer, on the other hand, is a more recent addition and provides you with a more realistic riding experience.

It should be noted that it isn't possible to connect to popular apps like ZWIFT with this most basic model of trainer. Not unless you also pair it up with a speed/cadence sensor or crank/hub-based power meter that is. And even then, you won't be able to access the variable resistance offered by more expensive smart trainers.

The majority of wheel-out trainers are smart and include extra built-in functions like a power meter. Not only do they offer more accurate training data, but they are also not prone to the vagaries in power readings that affect the less expensive wheel-in type. So if your budget stretches far enough, you will find a smart wheel-in or wheel-out trainer to be far more beneficial in the long term.

train indoors, but if you wish to use training apps like ZWIFT, you will need a SMART interactive model.

The first and most basic type of trainer is the classic wheel-on type. The rear wheel remains in situ and is raised off the ground, with the tyre resting atop a roller situated within the resistance unit. Arms either side of the A-frame clamp to the wheel axle, and the front is similarly raised by way of a front wheel riser block (or yellow pages/phone book if you're old school).

Wheel-on trainers like that pictured above allow you to train indoors, but if you wish to use training apps like ZWIFT, you'll need a SMART interactive model.

Any bike that uses quick-release skewers or wheel nuts can usually be fitted straight into such trainers with little fuss. Manufacturers such as Tacx and Wahoo even supply a replacement skewer that you can swap out for your 'best' skewer to prevent it from the cosmetic damage incurred when continually clamping it up.

More rarely still is the disc brake bike that uses quick-release skewers (the Ribble CGR AL of 2017 is one such model). These can be fitted in exactly the same way as described above.

Above Image: Before the advent of disc brake bikes, almost every bicycle featured a cam lock-style quick-release lever to secure the wheels.

The majority of disc brake bikes aren't compatible with a wheel-in trainer unless the appropriate adaptors are used. The thru-axle sits flush with the frame's dropouts, so there is nothing for the 'arms' of the trainer to clamp to. A thru-axle adaptor allows you to swap out the existing axle to provide you with the necessary anchor points. You must order an adaptor of the correct length and thread pitch as your bike (see axle dimensions section below).

Not to be confused with bolt thru-axles, the traditional bolt-on axle uses wheel nuts, also known as track nuts to secure the wheels into the frame. Fixed-gear and single-speed bikes are typically the only bikes that feature this wheel fitting. The arms of the trainer should clamp onto the track nuts at the end of the axle. However, if these are the wrong diameter, it is possible to purchase trainer-specific replacements online.

It should be noted that Ribble e-bikes also use a bolt-on style fitting, but these may be too large in diameter to clamp safely into the arms of most wheel-on trainers. We have no way of ascertaining if this will be the case for specific trainer models. We would therefore advise against trying to use such a bike on any indoor trainer.

The image above illustrates the method by which singlespeed/track wheels are secured to your bike.

The wheel-out trainer offers an authentic ride feel and connects to third-party apps so you can enjoy riding alongside cyclists across the world.

The second trainer is the 'direct drive' type. As per the image above, you can see that the rear wheel is removed, and the bike is mounted directly to the trainer. It is, therefore, necessary to remove the cassette from the wheel and fit it to the trainer or purchase an extra cassette for use on the trainer. We prefer the latter as it involves far less faff!

Wheel-out trainers are normally supplied with a variety of adaptors to suit bikes of all genres, including those with quick-release skewers, plus road (142mm) and Mtb (148mm) thru-axles.

Once again, we should reiterate that, to our knowledge, such a trainer is not compatible with any electric bikes that use the MAHLE X35 hub-mounted motor system due to the bolt-on style axle.

Due to there being countless brands and models of trainers on the market, we would always recommend that you check the manufacturer's website for details of what accessories are included with the model you wish to purchase/already own.

When it comes to determining what details you need to ensure bike-trainer compatibility, you only really need to arm yourself with the following information:

• Dropout spacing: This is the distance between the frame's rear dropouts (where the wheel fits into the rear end). A road bike with quick-release axles will measure 130mm, whereas a disc brake model with thru-axles will be 142mm and an MTB 148mm.
• Axle Dimensions: M12 is the actual axle diameter, the largest number is the overall length of the thru-axle (not to be confused with dropout spacing), and dimension P is the thread pitch.

It should be noted that total axle length is included for reference only and has no bearing on trainer compatibility.

If we use any of the aero road bikes, gravel bikes, hybrid bikes, endurance road bikes, cyclocross bikes and all-road bikes from the table below, for instance, you will see that they all require 142 x 12mm adaptors. Whether that's adaptors supplied with the trainer itself or purchased as an optional extra.

We hope this guide helps you to work out which trainer type suits your needs best and what you need to make guarantee compatibility with your Ribble bike. If you still need further advice or assistance, our customer service team is always here to help.

Winter is hard on your bike and components; find out how best to protect your ride with our winter riding guide.

Gravel bikes are great to ride whatever time of year; discover the Ribble range here.