The last couple years I have been spending most of the Summer in Alaska. This has lead to a collapse in my FTP! Also a little fatter after spending months in a chair on the boat instead of on a bike seat!!!
Where we are in AK there is only about 20miles of road…period. rains quite a bit too. Not the greatest for outdoor riding. So I am looking for a second indoor training setup.
The trainerroad/Zwift linkup has been a game changer for my indoor training. Previously, 90 min was an eternity, now it’s very doable so I’m also looking for maximizing the Zwift experience
My question is for those who have experience with both fixed and moving (rocker plate or integrated) trainer setups. How much longer do you feel like training indoors with movement vs without? Is it 30min longer or is it twice as long?
Also on the radar is the Zwift Ride frame although it isn’t currently set up for movement
@Yukonranger - I utilize the Saris MP1 and it really did improve the experience. I can stay on longer for sure (estimate 25% longer). The biggest improvement was that I don’t experience the hip pain I would have when it was straight stationary setup.
I don’t use a rocker plate, but have a Tacx Neo 2, which has a bit of lateral movement. I had a Kickr Core for a bit, but truly didn’t like the fixed position. I feel that the N2 has enough movement that I could, and have, ride for hours. I think a bit over 5 hours is my longest. Does it feel a bit rough after that much time? Sure, but it doesn’t seem to be any more so than the same amount of time outside.
Not exactly a rocker plate, but an experience report anyway: I had a Kickr Bike, and had the movement turned off. When I finally turned it on, I started getting a little seasick, but after trying it on and off for longer times, got to the point I liked it. Since you imply you are a sailor, added movement might not be a problem for you. I did find that I missed the movement when I changed brands. I would think that a multi-axis platform would still not be very ‘real’, but it would beat no movement at all (I was hoping the Tacx Neo Smart Bike would have some movement like the 2T, but nope)
I’m looking into getting a rocker plate, but probably missed the tariff cutoff potentially.
I have done rides over 5 hours on motion that would have been torture fixed. I do 2-3 hours with ease and did 4 hrs regularly a couple years back when I was training hard.
I will not claim motion is a cure all, but it is one of the best chances of extending time in the saddle to 50% or more without it for many riders.
it’s very personal… I can do 4 hour indoor rides just with an alu bike and a kickr core without rocker or anything else. Other people are done after 90 minutes with a rocker plate.
I went from Kickr Bike v1 + Saris MP1 → Kickr Move, don’t feel any worse for long rides (~4h). I also use clip-on aerobars with high stack, this helps as well very much.
I was going to post similar. It sounds like this is a new setup so buying the Kickr Move is the option to go with versus a trainer plus a rocker plate.
I had multiple Kickr’s on top of the MP1 prior to purchasing the Kickr Move and I think the Kickr Move is more tolerable than prior set ups.
And I’m gearing up for my annual Milan Sanremo indoor ride where I’ll stream the race and pretend I’m in it by riding 5 hours at 2.5-3.0 w/kg and then I’ll drill at at threshold for the final last bit. I do remember 2024 feeling much more comfortable on the Kickr Move than rocker plate setups
Yeah. I have a Saris MP1 for a couple of years. Maybe not a game-changer, but it is a butt-changer. The motion while pedaling seated is quite small, maybe a few cm L/R and one or two fore/aft. It feels like it’s moving with my natural movement rather than immovably resisting it like a fixed trainer or smart bike. It’s not much, but it helps a lot IMO. Standing is different. Both the L/R rocking and fore/aft motion can be a lot more, and it is different than riding an unconstrained bike outdoors. It takes a bit to get used to it and learn work with it. I think that motion probably saps a little bit of power when standing compared to a rigid setup, but for me it’s well worth the tradeoff. The MP1 has a lot of L/R and fore/aft movement capability. I think simpler platforms with less overall movement, like the inflated ball type, may be just as comfortable.
And I should say that numerous people viewed the ‘movement’ feature on the Kick Bike was a ‘gimmick’. Did it add to the ‘experience’? Yes, undoubtedly so. It also added to the complexity and issues like noise and unintended movement. I had the clunking issue with one of the bikes I had, and squeaking with others. (These were gen 1 bikes too, and ‘re-manufactured’ replacements so perhaps they got it right in the later generation)
I was torn, yeah, it was a gimmick, and enough people complained about the added drama, but there were lots of people who loved it. Like I said, I got used to it, and was surprised to find that a missed it on some level, but the ‘cost and drama’ of having the Gen 1 bike was too much, adding in the accuracy issues I was experiencing, I got out of it. I hope they were able to fix the issues because the bike was evolutionary, but perhaps should have cooked a little longer, or another OEM should have been sought out to do them better.
At least the benefit of a ‘rocker plate’ has the benefit of taking the trainer off of it and riding without it while it’s being fixed/replaced/etc.
(I remember riding a new route on the Kickr and hitting a part of the route where the bike was rocking up and down as if I was riding a bronco at a rodeo. Yeah, it did make me a little seasick and concerned that I was going to be bucked off the thing. The ‘climb’ feature also could make my situational vertigo spike a little with exaggerated continuous movement, an added feature. I wonder what a rocker plate might do. My physician seems to think that I can be ‘treated’ to end my sudden vertigo issue (it stopped my pilot training) and others say that could make it permanent. Mentioning that for those that might suffer from that condition)
so you’re recommend getting the Kickr Move over a rocker plate? I’ve been interested in a rocker plate for a while, but am thinking of getting the Kickr move as I realized my tacx neo2 (not 2t) isn’t compatible with my UDH gravel bike.
Yes, that’s what I’d recommend since you’d be spending close to that or more for a new trainer plus a rocker plate.
A little history, if it matters:
been on a trainer since 2001
Bought the Kurt Kinetic Rock N Roll the day it came out and it’s still the best trainer with movement I’ve ever been on (from a realistic motion perspective)
Once erg came out on more trainers than just the computrainer I purchased a Kickr and used various forms of rocker plates, including swimming kick boards, the MP1, and one of the inflatable ball options - none of which were remotely comparable to the Rock N Roll
Decided in 2022 to just use the kick board option again as it was better than MP1 and definitely better than the inflatables
Purchased the Kickr Move as soon as it came out and now I’ll be in aero position for 90 minutes straight without problems
I’d agree that if you’re in the market for a replacement trainer and want motion the kickr move would be the way to go.
I’ve been on a Rockr (full size, just lateral motion not the fancy one) for a year or 2 now and I can honestly say I’m whelmed, solid 3 stars. I use a Saris H3 that’s still working well and was experiencing some tenderness that I was hoping to alleviate with the motion. It may have worked or it may have gone away on it’s own anyway. Since then it hasn’t been a game changer as far as comfort or time on the saddle versus butt breaks but I also seem better off with it than without. If my need happened a bit later and I could justify buying a new trainer I would have rather the Kickr move from a footprint standpoint. My Rockr plate is large. No larger than my Saris trainer mat but still it’s a big thing that adds quite a bit of height to my set up. I didn’t intend to put my trainer on a pedestal but that’s what happened.
