Leveling Trainer

Hi all!
Wanted to see what you were doing as far as making sure your trainers were level.( level L&R not fore aft) Or if it’s even a concern at all. If you do make sure it’s s level, where are you measuring from??? Saddle, handlebars, legs of the trainer etc…
I realize that there will inevitably be some lateral movement/ rocking of the trainer, especially as efforts increase.
Just wanted to see if there was a method I’m missing out on.
Thanks!
PS I use a Wahoo Kickr

I use a Cyclops fluid 2 which has an arm on either side so if it’s not already level it wobbles. It comes with adjustable twisting bits on the end of the legs to fine tune the leveling.

As an aside I also use an old BNF to prop up my front wheel.

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My garage floor is on a slant. I’m using a Kickr, so just adjust the feet so it’s not rocking, sit on the bike and decide whether i’m leaning to one side or not and adjust as necessary.

Bit of trial and error, but once you find the sweetspot, you’re set.

If you wanted to get really technical, you could use a spirit level to confirm

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Thanks for starting this thread!

Currently having the same issues, but think it might have more to do with bike fit rather than trainer fit. Was much easier to determine levelness on a bike with a straight/classic top tube.

I use a small spirit level on the saddle to see if it’s tilted side-to-side; adjust trainer feet accordingly.

I measure the hight of the F and R axels from the floor to see if bike is on a decline/incline; adjust using blocks etc.

But I’m never quite sure, it always feels “off”.

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Thanks! I feel like I had it dialed at one point, then took the trainer to a race to warm up with. Ever since then it’s just felt like it wants to rock a bit. I will try the level on the middle of the saddle.

@Captain_Doughnutman Yeah, I don’t want to get too far into the weeds on this, but not being able to use the top tube is also a problem for me as well.
Part of the genesis of this question for me is that I feel more pressure on one side than the other and the only variable that changed pre/post this experience was moving my trainer.
I felt like if I could get it truly “level” then I would have a more suitable starting place to see if it was that or a fit issue.
I would welcome your thoughts on this… could the saddle be a poor place to measure if it has broken down some??? It’s a Specialized Romin Expert. Minimal padding but I could see where over time the wings could develope some flex… just slap me if I’m going over the edge here!! :joy:

This is a great topic. I use a Tacx Flow Smart and it has always felt slightly off. I feel like its leaning to the left, only my millimeters but I can feel it and when I look down at the top tube I believe I can see it too, in that its not quite in line with the down tube. I tried putting a piece of wood under the left leg but this caused the whole thing to slowly move across the floor while I was training :smile:

I try and ignore it and wonder if it even really matters, but to be perfetly honest it drives me potty every bloomin ride! :laughing:

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:joy: yeah it can get maddening when you’re just staring down at it for hours on end! But I’m wondering could you also be hemorrhaging power w that rocking??? Also, if one side was weighted more than the other, caused by the trainer being off, injures could occur.

I may try to post a picture of the legs of the trainer. The knobs are definitely different lengths, which puzzles me bc it’s in the floor in my house. ( should be level) However one leg of the Kickr extends out further. So I figured the distance had to be accommodated for by a corresponding height difference. If I were better at math I’m sure I could calculate the ht/distance ratio. :laughing:

One way to check for vertical is to drop a plumb line from the center of the saddle at the back. Look from the rear and it should be straight with the center of the seatpost.

Adjust the trainer as needed with it’s own leveling options or wood shims.

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I didn’t have the luxury of a plumb line - so I just put the pedals at 6o-clock and measured to the floor from the lowest point each side.

I wonder if the bike/trainer being way out (needed to add 1cm added under the left side) could have been attributing knee/hip issues

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Yeah, if you were leveling your hips, the leg extension would likely be effected, so I think it’s a distinct possibility.

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This won’t account for the ground not being level though. Chad’s method with a plumb line will

I’ve got a Hammer 2 and one “footpad” is fully extended while the other is screwed all the way in and it still doesn’t feel level…so maybe it’s me.

I realize this thread was opened a long time ago.
But I found a method I really like, especially on a floor you KNOW to be not level, like a basement/garage.

Most cranksets have a steel sleeve around the axle on the drive side.
I take a small spirit level, that has magnets on one side, and adhere it to that sleeve through the center of the axle.

Voila. No ambiguousness from a saddle that’s flexed under your weight, nor trainer mat that has been crushed somewhat under you and your bike.

I cannot tell you the agony trying to find this solution has caused.
So many friggin friction sores and what not and always feeling ‘twisted’ in the saddle. It was for a good reason, I WAS twisted in the saddle.

Cheers!
Keep the rubber side down!

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I kept feeling like I was leaning to the right, badly, so I went full crazy mode on this, and am super happy w the robustness of the method I came up with, and results:

You need a long & accurate level, preferably 1.5 m = 60" or so, a caliper micrometer, and some thin steel shims. You can cut some out of soda cans if you’re in a jam. You can get a decent micrometer online for about $ 25. Get manual, not digital, better accuracy at low price points.

With the micrometer, measure the diameter of your downtube just in front of the chainring. About 8 cm = 3" or so in front. Measure 3 times, take the average. Measure the diameter of your top tube immediately above that point. Same thing; avg of 3 measurements.

Whichever is the smaller diameter, subtract it, and cut the difference in half.

[Top tube 38.26 mm, down tube 33.74 mm, 38.26 - 33.74 = 4.52 mm difference, / 2 = 2.26 mm shim needed on one side to equalize.]

Now use shims to make exactly that thickness and tape them to the side of the thinner tube. [Use one wrap of thin tape like painter’s or packing tape, not three wraps of gaffer tape.] Put them in an orientation that isn’t annoying, so you can leave them there.

Now you have a level line. Slap the level on it, adjust as necessary. Leave the level nearby, super fast to re-check every few rides.

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