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I was planning on doing my winter training this year on a mountain bike (for ergonomic reasons), but it occurred to me that the skewer for the Active Braking Pivot on my Top Fuel might not be work well. In the below pic, you can see the metal flange which would sit in the trainer, I'm worried about it getting bent or otherwise damaged (I'm ~205lbs/94kg). For those not familiar with ABP, there's a pin that moves through the channel you can see at the end, which allows you to unscrew the skewer (the end cap is attached to the frame).

ABP

Has anyone had experience with using an ABP bike on a trainer, specifically with long-term regular use? I have a blackburn fluid trainer.

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  • Are you specifically asking for an alternative to the skewer? (If so, that could be in your question title, to help narrow the focus of the question.)
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Nov 23, 2010 at 21:02
  • This link may be of help: ABP Explained.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Nov 23, 2010 at 21:05
  • My actual question is at the end, basically, will using my bike on the trainer a lot damage the pivot?
    – Dana the Sane
    Nov 24, 2010 at 1:00
  • I have the same problem with a Superfly 100 and i'm looking forward for an extra large skewer to overpass this bolt and fix it with is own bolt in the trainer.The dimension is about 25 cm for the skewer and i think will work perfect with ABP.Have any idea where i can find a skewer in this dimension to work with most of trainers?
    – user5547
    Nov 20, 2012 at 10:08
  • I don't believe that I've ever come across one that long.
    – Dana the Sane
    Nov 22, 2012 at 20:39

1 Answer 1

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Almost certainly you will damage that pivot and possibly the suspension action. I've used a trainer with a normal quick release skewer, and it tends to mash up the drive side, even if it's a metal end. Plastic ones get destroyed - that's a lot of weight to be putting through something that isn't designed to be weight bearing in that fashion.

My trainer came with a big chunky metal QR skewer that weighed about twice as much as a normal one, but was designed to fit firmly in the trainer, for this reason, but I suspect from what you've said that won't be compatible with ABP.

Given that your setup is perhaps even more risky than using a normal skewer - damaging a fundamental part of the suspension, rather than a cheap QR skewer - I really wouldn't recommend using that bike with a trainer.

Have you considered rollers instead? They're a bit scary at first, but once you get used to them they're a lot less dull than a trainer, plus they're better for developing a smooth pedalling technique.

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  • That explanation seems reasonable, I have a hard tail that I can use instead, so it's not the end of the world. Rollers are an idea, but I wanted something with variable resistance so I can work a bit harder. I'm planning on doing some SLED's and high cadence drills to work on my pedalling.
    – Dana the Sane
    Nov 25, 2010 at 16:30
  • Hardtail with a QR skewer that you don't care about (or ideally a dedicated trainer one) would be a much better idea. Personally I prefer rollers because they're less dull and you have to pedal in smooth circles, but a trainer is of course better for drills and variable resistance.
    – Chris Betterton
    Nov 26, 2010 at 10:19
  • Couldn't you vary the resistance on the rollers by changing the gear your bike is in? I've never used rollers, so maybe there's a reason why it wouldn't work, but it seems to me like it would work. Unless of course, even the hardest gear isn't that hard on rollers.
    – Kibbee
    Nov 20, 2012 at 14:13

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