I rode the rocker plate for the first time tonight and WOW…what a difference it is. It was pretty dialed in from the start. I rode it comfortably for an hour. At the end of the ride I just pumped up the left rear ball a few pumps to fine tune the balance. Easy way to check was with my iPhone level. So far I’m really impressed with it. Super comfortable and a lot of movement. I got out of the saddle and it rocks as much as outside. So cool. Really happy with how it turned out. Have a feeling my friends will be hitting me up for a build.
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That is awesome! So glad you had such a great experience for your first ride. Congrats and happy rocking. 
Pretty sure that front wheel isn’t going anywhere!!
Nice job on the rocker.
Lol. If it does, I’m in trouble 
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Made a down a dirty (well down and dirty for me) rocker plate this morning. Used scrap plywood and hardware I had laying around and only purchased the playground balls and 4 isolation dampers. Total fabrication time was about 30 minutes. I still need to fasten the trainer to the top plate and test it out.
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That looks like a great start! Have a great first ride.
This was a proof of concept build. Once I get this dialed in I will make a final version with nicer Baltic Birch plywood and put some time in the details and finishing work.
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I jumped on the “Kinetic R1 for $699” deal and from a physical hardware standpoint it does what people have been talking about here for years. I did have one day where everything seemed a bit off and that was because two of the feet were off of my “training rug” so I was leaning to the side. My Bad…
Even so as my wife would say “Ya’ll got some very interesting ideas here.” and props for thinking out side of the tesseract.
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Good luck with the R1. I love the concept, but their execution on many of their electronic trainers has been a bit more problematic than other brands, I hope they get them dialed, because it is a great concept. My first rocker was inspired by the original Rock & Roll, but I wanted to be cheap and use the trainer I already had.
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Yep. I’m a beta tester and a picky one at that. Nothing like being a Technology Architect in Silicon Valley to make me one VERY picky SOB. Kinetic is selling the smart trainers pretty cheap now probably to get more in the field so they have telemetry to work with. Problem is they need to acknowledge that this is what they’re doing so folks don’t think they’re buying a 100% ready to ride trainer across all the promised platforms, because it most defiantly is not.
When it comes down to it, if a cyclist has a trainer, there’s a good chance they also can’t help but tinkering with their ride, training setup, etc. This thread is proof, and I salute all of the innovative creations I’ve seen here.
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Did my first rides on Saris MP1 this morning. I set it up for now with my Tacx Neo which my backup road bike is set up on. Set up was pretty easy. They instruction manual doesn’t have specific set up instructions for individual trainers, but they have this information on the Saris website. If you follow this it is super easy to get the trainer in the correct position on the platform. MP1 Nfinity Bike Trainer Fit Guide – Saris
First ride was a 1 x 45 min 90% sweet spot effort in TrainerRoad. I was spinning in the low 90’s. The was some gentle fore and motion during this, not much side to side. It didn’t feel “game changer” different, but felt natural and comfortable.
After this workout, I did a Sufferfest workout - The Way Out. This is primarily a sweet spot workout with a few efforts at threshold and has you work through a range of cadences from 55 to 110. As my cadence slowed, I got a lot more motion on the platform, especially fore and aft. It felt really got and natural. I remained mainly seated but on a few occasions where I briefly stood, the side to side motion really kicked it and it felt very reminiscent of the days when I used a Kurt Kinetic RocknRoll.
The platform is silent. It ships with a silicone dry lube cloth and you are supposed to wipe the portions underneath the platform that slide after about every 30 hours of use. You also do it initially at the time of set up. It is well built and solid and weighs around 80lbs.
My impressions are obviously very early but so far I’m happy and fits my needs well. I was able to get in on the deals around Black Friday at Clevertraining so it helped take the edge of the price. I also have an H3 and at some point will put it on the MP1, but for now I’m going to stick with my Neo set up since everything is working great.
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Fantastic review. Thanks for the detail. Sounds like a great first time experience. Congrats!
Calling all home made experts. 
Is there any advangates in making a full length rocker pate (from trainer to front wheel) vs just a rocker plate for the trainer with a seperately support front wheel?
Full length is best if you plan to use the Wahoo Climb. Also, some people say it’s better with respect to pivots and lean geometry vs rear-only. While technically correct in some cases, the difference is so small and all the other variables and freedom of a round rubber tire mask the minor differences.
If you do rear-only, make flat front wheel riser, at the same or slightly higher height of the rear deck. The flat riser effectively replicates the ability of the tire to lean like it does on the road.
For rear-only, I also suggest making a center stand the same height (or even a bit taller) as your rocker. This allows you to mount and dismount easier.
You end up with roughly the same material use, but the 3 separate pieces are easier to move and store compared to a full length rocker due to its large size.
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Thanks, full size it is.
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Hi, I’m thinking of making a full size rocker plate. Another Covid-DIY project since I’m stuck at home anyway. What type and thickness of chip board / fiber board / MDF board / Cement board (?!) are folks generally using?
Even more helpful: if you’re UK based and have a link to a product then I owe you a virtual beer. (Side note: currently >1 hour wait simply to access B&Q’s website! For the 'muricans that’s a big hardware chain in the UK not sure if you have it?)
18mm is considered a good thickness. I suggest quality plywood or OSB. Avoid MDF and fiberboard.
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Thanks Chad. Very quick 
I’ll go with 18mm OSB then as it’s super cheap and I’ll be painting it anyway.
I might cut the TrainerRoad logo out of red skateboard paper - the sandpaper stuff - and stick it on because yes I’m a tart!
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Sounds cool. Be sure to share pics and results when you get going.