This I think is from not being very careful about how I setup the device.
I had the engineer/owner of InsideRide build my E-Flex and install my KICKR at their headquarters. From what we discussed during setup, the important things to be careful with initial setup are: 1) the measurement of the center leg of the KICKR, and 2) which direction you choose for the silver leaf spring (correct direction depends on which model year KICKR you own)
As far as getting the front wheel straight, I like to lift my handlebars just enough to pick up the entire front wheel E-Flex frame and align to make sure my stem is perfectly straight under zero load before putting it on the ground and riding to avoid that asymmetrical feeling you described @enki42. My front E-Flex frame is very close but not perfectly square to the rear frame because of the tension bands, but if I align it under zero load as described above, it operates as if it were square or parallel with the rear frame of the E-Flex and KICKR.
Iâm happy to hear you share your experience regarding feeling unsteady or what many people fear regarding tipover. I really hope more people weigh in on that as I find it very unfortunate that Ray planted that seed for many folks. If tipover were an issue, we would be hearing about it here and in the DC Rainmaker review comments. I havenât seen any reports of people falling over on their E-Flex, but Iâve read multiple people asking about a redesign. I love the small footprint of the E-Flex and still feel a larger footprint or stability redesign is a solution looking for a problem.
If you want to get really OCD on setup, hereâs mine:
Detach fork from front Eflex, and lock the front so it doesnât rotate
Put a tape mark on the side of the front Eflex, so you know exactly where front / back neutral position is
Connect fork back to the front Eflex - the front left / right should still be locked out
Pickup the front of your bike, and carefully place it down so your stem is in alignment with the rest of your bike, and the fore / aft of the front Eflex is at the neutral point you marked
Now loosen the front left / right on the Eflex
This OCD procedure, in addition to making sure your bike is vertical, should ensure that the front of the E-Flex is aligned with the rear in a neutral position
If the measurement of the center leg is so important why the instructions should be worded different.
"Kickr should extend approx. 3.5â (90mm) from the front saddle. "
Donât use the word approx, Say 90mm
The leaf spring is black on mine.
I donât understand your directions for getting the wheel straight.
Align and straight in which direction? Easy to do straight up and down but the handlebars rotate too easily to know what is perfectly straight ahead. So if your handlebars are rotated slightly to the left and you put it down the bike will be asymmetric. Do I need to mark my bike so I know when its pointed straight ahead? Just a tiny rotation of the handlebars moves the saddle a nice amount in the rear so it seems like it would be very sensitive.
As to tipover, assuming you have the balance to ride a two wheel bike outdoors tipover shouldnât be a problem for you. Well and lean that you canât just mount the bike by stepping on the pedal close to you and only the handlebar close to you. A bit more work but not that hard
I bought one of these a few months ago. Have done plenty of long 4+ hr rides in Zwift using it, and really like the feel.
The point folks are making on alignment is that you canât just line up the frames of the E-Flex, because that wonât align the front tire of the bicycle as if youâre going âstraightâ. You actually have to ignore the E-Flex frame alignment and actually line up the front tire (handlebar and stem included) as if youâre going âstraightâ. So connect everything, lift up the front of the bicycle (with E-Flex frame attached to it), align the stem to point dead ahead, then slowly set the front end of the bicycle (with E-Flex frame attached to it) back down on the ground. Most likely, the front and rear frames of the E-Flex will not align with each other (mine are probably 5-10 degrees out of alignment), but as long as your bicycle tires are aligned, youâll be balanced.
yup, mine donât align. Use handlebars to pick up and lower the front end. Results in proper alignment. For OCD reasons I have to ignore looking down at the front and rear frames
Man, at first it really bothered me that those frames didnât align (still does sometimes, if Iâm honest). I thought I assembled it incorrectly.
Another check you can do is when youâre sitting neutral on the bike, check the alignment of the front dropouts with the front edge of the fork mounting plate. If thatâs straight, youâre good.
Even if the $(&%^# front and rear frames are not aligned.
Not sure that it matters, but I believe you (and @dcrainmaker ) have the front fork stand backwards @Aaron. Check the photos on the InsideRide website and social media for reference. Iâm basing my comment on that as well as my time riding it at the InsideRide HQ.
I mentioned that in my review (DCRâs being backwards). I actually think âbackwardsâ is better since you can likely reach the lock knob while seated. Otherwise, there is no functional difference on the direction of the fork mount in use. Steering is still the same lock to lock and the fore-aft motion is unaffected.
Well, some could use the lock knob for mounting and dismounting. Or others might want to lock out the motion in use for any reason.
In reality, I removed my knob while making my other mods and donât see the need for myself. But, itâs an existing feature on the rocker and could be used by anyone if they choose. So access within seated position might be a benefit for those that do.
I believe the knob is from the repurposed fork stand for InsideRide rollers. In that application, the knob serves a purpose and is closest to the rider as you describe @mcneese.chad (backwards). Iâm with @bbarrera and never lock the front wheel. As I said though, Iâm not sure it makes any difference, but Iâm no engineer. I just noticed the difference and thought Iâd share in the event there is a benefit.
FWIW, I like the open part of the fork stand facing the KICKR as I can store one of my Lasko fans there when Iâm not riding.
Pretty sure I loosened the lock knob as soon as I got it and havenât touched it since. The bike is plenty steady without it. Maybe the first time or 2 I rode it I was careful with mount/dismount after seeing Rayâs review video, but after a few months of using it I canât imagine how Iâd make it fall over or make myself fall off it.
Have done a few more rides. Do to the knee pain I have locked the fork to be straight continuing the thinking from before that the knee pain was from overworked stabalizers. Rides since then have been pain free and felt great.
A few negatives though:
the lock screw doesnât really lock the fork. Have to straddle the bike without putting pressure on it before I can mount it, otherwise it turns a bit and doesnât turn back
-Feels harder to keep the same cadence I was keeping. Was gnerally around 90 rpm and now about 10 less)
legs are a bit more sore doing z2 workouts
Took a ramp test in TR the day before getting the eflex and just finished one. FTP went down by ~20 watts (from ~240) Felt like it used my quads differently, sort of higher up my legs). Guessing there is still some muscle use difference that has to be made. Hoping those muscles are also used outdoors so not just training for the eflex
Just started SSB mid 2, thinking after next weekend I may try unlocking the fork and seeing how things go again and hope my stabalizers are stronger to not have knee pain
As far as the leaning and stabilizing is concerned, it can be largely controlled via handle bars. Keep them from turning much or at all will make the bike stay mostly vertical. So just make sure to hold the bars with more authority than you have done on a rigid trainer.
I think itâs an open question with no proof one way or the other.
That said, I think there may be impact on power measures and/or applied via motion. I have a rather lengthy and incomplete Google doc with some initial thoughts. It needs more edits, info and a whole section on âValidationâ via testing is empty. Thatâs because testing to evaluate the reality is far from easy.
I know people have reported everything from losses to gains and some with no change. So anything is possible and anyone claiming solid answers may only be speaking for themselves as others might well be different.
