How To Make Bike Trainer Quieter?
It’s great to have an indoor stationary bike stand that you can ride at any speed! People who do not have the option to ride fast in the streets can benefit significantly from these stationary bikes. Moreover, you don’t even have to purchase ultra-expensive special equipment. If you already have a regular cycle, all you need to buy is a stationary bike stand that lets you take your bicycle for a ride in your living room.
Bike trainers are considered great exercise equipment as they can help you lose weight and perform cardio workouts while being easy to use. However, there’s one thing that most people suffer from while using bike trainers, and that’s noise.
If you live alone, the noise might not bother you too much. However, it can be troublesome for those who are living with you. This is why it’s essential to know how to make bike trainers quieter. In this article, we’ll explore different ways of doing that.
Types of Bike Trainers and Noise Levels
Before reducing the noise of bike trainers, it’s essential to know about the types of bike trainers. There are four types of bike trainers that you’ll find out there. These are:
Rollers
The rollers are considered to be among the quiet bike trainers. However, there’s still some getting noise out of them. In the case of roller bike trainers, the problem will usually be in the bike chain or the tires, if not both.
Magnetic
Magnetic bike trainers can be very loud. The resistance unit of these trainers can make a lot of noise, and the tires can also be a bit noisy.
Wind
The wind types are the loudest bike trainers that you can get yourself. In the case of these, the tires may make a noise. However, the majority of the noise will be coming from the fan.
Fluid
The fluid-type bike trainers are considered the quietest among all bike trainers. There’s minimum resistance to these, which is why the noise is minimal. However, the tires may make some noise.
How to Make Indoor Bike Trainer Quieter?
There are multiple steps to making your bike completely noise-free. As the problem may lie in various components of the trainer or the bike itself, it’s necessary to determine which component is making the noise first and then fix it accordingly.
In this section, we’ll discuss every step in detail so you can reduce the bike trainer noise completely.
Lube the Bike’s Chain and Drivetrain
One of the major components that can make noise is the bike’s chain. The more time passes, and the more you use the bike, the rustier the chain will get, and the more friction there will be. As the friction increases, so does the noise.
The only way of getting rid of this is to maintain the chain regularly and properly. One thing to note here is the bike’s chain will accumulate dust and rust even if you don’t use it. This is why you should maintain it if you’re taking it out of storage after some time.
Plus, we don’t recommend using just any oil or regular WD-40. The composition of certain oils or lubricants can do more harm than good, so we suggest you use only appropriate lubes.
This process should be easy if you take care of your bike drivetrain clean. However, if you’re taking it up after a while, you may have to remove the components and clean each thoroughly.
This process will help you reduce the squeaky noise from your bicycle’s chain.
Take Care of the Tires
Sometimes, your bike tires can be the major source of the noise. No matter which type of bike trainer you’re using, the tire can be the source of the problem. This is why we highly recommend checking the tire out in the first place.
Replace Old Tires
If your tires are old and worn out, we highly recommend getting a change. The tires will make a lot of noise if they aren’t smooth. So, it’s suggested that you keep new ones equipped at all times.
Buy Indoor Trainer Tire
We highly recommend getting a quality indoor trainer tire for indoor training on your bike. These tires are made especially for indoor training, so they last longer, perform smoother and produce less noise.
Put Something Under the Trainer
The higher the vibration, the more sound is produced. The best way of reducing vibration is padding every component related to the bike and the bike trainer. If you can minimize the vibration to the bare minimum, you’ll be able to get rid of the noise as well. Here, we’ll discuss some of the best ways of getting rid of the noise.
Old Towels
A good way of getting rid of the vibration is to dampen the bike trainer with some towels. Try placing a few towels below the trainer. You’ll need to find the sweet spot because putting too many towels can make things awkward for you, while only a few won’t dampen the sound enough. So, you’ll need to play around with this a bit before you settle.
Exercise Bike Mat
If you don’t want to use towels, the best way of dampening the vibration is by putting the bike trainer on a bike mat. There are bike trainer mats made specifically for indoor bike training. The best part about these mats is that they solve a ton of problems regarding indoor training.
Firstly, these reduce vibration to a great extent. If you have a noisy trainer, you’ll be able to reduce almost all noise using a bike mat. Secondly, these can prevent sweat and grime from reaching the floor, thus saving you from a lot of maintenance. Thirdly, you’ll be able to prevent floor damage with these. Finally, these will keep the trainer steady while you train at your heart’s content.
Related Reading: Best Bike Trainer Mat For The Stationary Bike
Rubber Padding
We recommend the rubber padding to those who don’t want to spend much on solving this problem. You can get rubber mats for a cheap price at stores like Home Depot. Although these can reduce the noise to some extent, they aren’t as durable as gym mats.
Corkboard
Just like the rubber padding, placing a corkboard under the trainer will muffle the noise to a great extent. You just have to place the corkboard under the trainer. Also, the corkboard has to be large enough to grip the floor properly.
Related Reading: Can You Put Exercise Bike on Carpet?
Reducing the Noise of the Unit
If you have a magnetic, wind, or chain roller bike trainer, then you should check this section out. As we’ve said previously, fluid trainers don’t come with a unit that creates a lot of noise, so you can skip this if you use one of those. However, please maintain caution while performing these because the unit is quite vulnerable and needs delicate maintenance.
If you’re using a magnetic trainer or a trainer that comes with roller chains, you can try making a box to house the unit. Once the box is placed, you can put appropriate dampening material on it.
However, you can’t do the same with trainers that come with fans. In case of these, you’ll need to figure out a way to reduce the noise without affecting the final output of the fan. If you end up tampering with the fan output, you may render the trainer useless.
In our experience, dampening the sound of the magnetic units is the easiest. You can simply pad them with thick sound-dampening material without affecting the unit’s performance. Working with the wind units is the toughest because you must calculate how much you’re affecting the fan.
Get a New Bike Trainer
If the trainer is making too much noise, then there’s a high chance that it has a broken component. Unfortunately, these items can’t be repaired properly, and purchasing a brand-new one is more cost-effective than repairing an old one. This is because, even if you repair one of these, it won’t take long before it starts making noise again.
Then again, there’s the construction factor. As discussed previously, every type of bike trainer other than fluid trainers makes a ton of noise. So, if you’re bothered by the noise, you better switch to a fluid-type trainer. This will solve the noise problem for good.
Move from Apartment to House
If your neighbors don’t stop complaining about your training, maybe it’s not your or the bike’s fault. In these cases, the simplest solution would be to move to a house from your apartment. We understand that this is easier said than done, but it’s an alternative that you should consider.
At your own house, you won’t have to worry about anyone complaining, even if your trainer makes a ton of noise. So, you’ll be able to train with a pair of earpods on with peace of mind.
Related reading: Indoor Cycling Clothing
Conclusion
In the realm of indoor cycling, the quest for a quieter bike trainer experience is a common challenge. My deep dive into this topic has shown that noise reduction hinges on understanding the type of trainer and addressing the specific noise sources. Rollers, magnetic, wind, and fluid trainers each have their unique sound profiles, with fluid trainers reigning as the quietest. The crucial step lies in pinpointing whether it’s the bike’s chain, tires, or the trainer itself causing the racket.
In my experience, regular maintenance, particularly frequent lubricating of the bike’s chain and drivetrain, is pivotal in curtailing noise. It’s surprising how often we overlook this simple yet effective solution. For those battling tire noise, switching to specialized indoor trainer tires can be a game-changer, offering a smoother, quieter ride.
The secret to further dampening noise lies in minimizing vibrations. Solutions range from the simple, like using old towels, to the more sophisticated, like investing in an exercise bike mat. These methods not only reduce noise but also protect your floor from damage and sweat – a double win for indoor cyclists. Through these strategies, we transform our indoor cycling setup into a more enjoyable and neighbor-friendly exercise space.
