How To: Use a Thru-Axle Bike on a Wheel-On Trainer (Videos)

Mountain bikes are all thru-axle these days, and road bikes are moving in that direction quickly as well as the cycling world adopts disc brakes. And while we love the stiffness and reliability of thru-axle, many wheel-on trainers don’t include thru-axle compatibility out of the box.

Never fear, though: our favorite Lama is here, with videos to guide us on getting the job done!

If you have a Tacx wheel-on trainer such as the popular Tacx Flow Smart, you’ll need to know the length, diameter, and thread type your bike’s rear wheel uses. Then just purchase the correct “Tacx E-Thru Axle” on Amazon or elsewhere.

Using the Tacx adapters on other brands’ trainers is going to be a little “hit and miss,” as Shane says. They won’t work with the popular CycleOps Fluid 2, for example. The Wahoo KICKR Snap has its own adapter kit, but only for 12×142 thru axles.

Tacx E-Thru Axle Adapters
KICKR Snap 142×12 Thru-Axle Adapters

Here are Shane’s tutorial videos showing how to set up the Tacx and Wahoo thru-axle adapters.

Setting up Thru-Axle on Tacx Wheel-On Trainers

Setting up Thru-Axle on Wahoo KICKR Snap

Eric Schlange
Eric Schlangehttp://www.zwiftinsider.com
Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava

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