Love the build, well done. 
Can’t wait to hear your feedback from the first rides.
Thanks Chad. I appreciate your help on a few of my earlier questions!
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Always happy to help, any way I can.
Why did you use 4 balls instead of two? Because your rocker is full length?
I’m building a smaller rear only rocker and was thinking about using 4 balls with lower pressure instead on the typical 2 ball set up.
I dislike 4 balls, from the difficulty of getting them all “balanced”. I think that 2 (1 per side) is sufficient for most riders. If you want more support, I’d suggest 7" balls instead of 5" and you will still get good pressure control with a larger support area.
I’m realizing that it’s harder to get them all aligned with 4. I’ll probably swap it out for two 7” or 8” ones in the rear. I had already bought them on amazon so I figured I’d just use them for now. Using two, they won’t be centered but should work
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I can give the smaller playground balls to the kids. Not a complete loss 
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Have you tried with just 2 total?
Two 5”, nope. I’ll have the maiden voyage tomorrow on it. I did realize as I was trying to level it, it was a pain and I asked myself is this going to have to be done every ride?
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The balls tend to hold pressure well. I top mine off about once per month is all. The initial hassle is there, but not much of a long term problem. No worse than lubing a chain (which is what I tend to couple with for my trainer bike maintenance).
Wasn’t sure if you were suggesting using only two 5” balls. I’m 165lbs so not sure if I need more or not. I’ll have to play around and see. Hard to get exact psi with my floor pump. I’m kinda eyeballing it and relying on a level and by feel. (All based off just pumping them up initially…so no real world riding experience on it )
Sure, I am 150lbs in gear and even use just two 4" balls on some rockers. You have them, so there is no reason not to try two.
For pumps, this is a great option with low pressure control:
But short of that. Just fill up one side, balance the rocker with pressure in the other side, hop on and see how it feels. If you want more pressure, add to both to keep level. You can fine tune by feel with more or less pressure on either side to nail the level balance.
I did 4 years on a rocker without a pressure gauge, so it is very possible. Just takes some experimentation. A pump helps when you are trying to maintain your finalized settings, but is not a requirement.
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Thanks!! I’ll give it a try with two. Looking forward to the benefits vs a ridged setup.
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I switched from the Kickr to the H3 because I was having significant accuracy problems with my Kickr. It was out of warranty, and I was offered to swap it for a refurb unit for $300 (or maybe $350), which I did not want to do.
Here is an example of what I was seeing on the Kickr:
Other than the accuracy I have been happy with the kickr (gen2, 2016 I think - first one with the handle). Hopefully the H3 will last longer
I was having these problems during the late summer, in a hot garage. The kickr seemed to get more accurate when the weather cooled down, so it could be temperature related, but at that point it had left my ‘circle of trust’, and I had decided to get a new trainer. I went with the H3 as it has been generally well reviewed, and the ERG mode was reported to be very smooth. (And it is very smooth - I like it a lot in ERG mode.) I timed my purchase to line up with the holiday deals that seem to happen every year, so I got a very good deal on it as well. If the H3 was not on sale I may have considered something else if it was a good enough deal.
November/December is the time to buy a trainer based on these sales - you can pretty much count on at least 20% off at various retailers. The H3 was 25% off at REI and others, and I managed to get it at 40% off! (stacking discounts that maybe weren’t meant to be stackable, but clever training honored it.)
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Nice to hear that you are happy with the H3. I plan on using it for zwift group rides and races. After a bad experience with a Wahoo snap, I also have lost trust in Wahoo.
I tried a Elite Direto, but the ride feel is terrible.
Since I bought the Elite at REI during a 20% off sale, they said they would give me the same 20% off on an exchange when I bring back my Elite.
Cheers,
Randolph
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it’s nice that REI is taking care of you like that.
Does the placement of the rubber balls impact performance? My rocker plate is going to be approximately 32” wide x 24” deep, should I locate the balls half way between the front and back (12” from front & back). Or locate them on the center line of my Kickr Core fly wheel?
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Won’t matter much unless you have a flimsy top deck.
I like them towards the rear, and i don’t drill the access holes, so I set the inflation hole rearward, and fill from there. Left to right you can impact flex. Stiffer with wide spacing, softer with narrow spacing. I am about 6" center pivot to center of my 5" balls.
Looks like my Saris MP1 is finally arriving tomorrow via FedEx. Should be able to get it set up for some weekend riding.
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Noice!