Great to read. I received one of their rockers for review as well. I hope to break it out of the box for a build in the next 2 weeks. I aim to compare it to the other rib rockers I have as well.
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Looking forward to your review. I’ve been on my stationary trainer since 2014 and have never thought about upgrading it as it does what I need. But now, I’d like a little more comfort for those times when I’m riding those longer 2 hour plus session. I was thinking of just doing a basic upgrade from the Kurt Kinetic to a Kurt Rock n Roll as I’ve seen those used for about $75 but it takes up some floor space and I’d have to be coordinate picking it up and selling my old unit. But I also thought about the SBR Rocker Pod Light but thought that the fore/aft movement would be pretty sweet. I downloaded instructions to make build my own, but I don’t think I’d save that much money, I certainly wouldn’t save any time.
Edit: Had no patience this morning, pulled the trigger on the rocker with fore/aft and the front wheel ramp. I hope it rains a lot this winter so that I can justify riding indoors as much as I probably will.
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Exactly what I am using. However, I found an all black set and bought them…sadly they came in packs of two so I had to buy 3 packs. I might add one more to the stash to have more support right underneath the Saris H3…I am going to paint the board black and have it all look like one nice set up with the black mat.
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- IMO, there are better rockers at lower prices than even the reduced MP1 price.
I’m thinking about a rocker plate for Christmas for my v1 Kickr Bike. Which rockers should I be considering? Thanks!
Here are some good US based options to review (I’m guessing that is best considering your name, but let me know if you are shopping for a different region). I can try to give more help once you check those out and help narrow down depending on your preferences.
Two options for Kickr Bikes:
They have one option, IIRC
The remaining option for US purchase of the RideNow clones, now that Wiggle/CRC have ceased US sales.
- Rocker Plate for Indoor Training by KOM Cycling - Indoor Rocking Platform
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CJYRVT3/
One of the first Euro suppliers that setup good US sales.
A new US option from a Euro supplier
Their full size option should work:
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Low rent DIY rocker incoming. i’ve never ridden a rocker plate but once I stacked 2 puzzle mats to raise the trainer to level my bike and it had, what I could call, significant side to side motion to it. At least it would give you a idea before the investment.
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Yup, that is one hack I suggest to people who are curious and want a taste of movement vs purely rigid.
Latest update. Still really enjoying the rocker. I replaced the front wheel block with KOM cycling block. A bit more substantial. I probably gave up some fore/aft movement, but not much.
I did double up on the bands and I’m happier with the motion. Not as twitchy.
Biggest positive surprise was in the knees. I didn’t like getting out of the saddle on the trainer before, as my knees usually complained. With the more realistic movement side to side, the knee issues went away.
I’m going to add a platform that sits in front of the rocker. It will add a bit of height to make it easier to get on/off the bike. I’m currently using an aerobics step that we had sitting around but it’s not quite large enough.
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Sounds like great progress! Thanks for the update and so happy it seems to be working well for you. 
I agree that a center stand for mounting is super nice with a rear-only rocker setup. Always had one with any of mine that were setup that way.
I just set up my rockrindoor Lite rocker plate. First use on a 90 min endurance ride was…ok. Some adjustments I’m thinking to make:
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Deflate the suspension balls to 1.5 psi. I had them at 2.0 and there wasn’t a lot of side-to-side movement. I also noticed a tapping sound while pedaling and I suspect the front of the plate is bouncing on the ground because the balls were too inflated.
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Add the counter weight. My bike was leaning towards the left (presumably because of the trainer flywheel) and this caused me an uncomfortable hotspot.
I have the front wheel in the riser block propped on textbooks to keep my bike level but that won’t be a permanent solution.
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Purely personal preference, but as you drop ball pressure you can keep in mind the option of taking them out entirely. The rail shape works to level the setup without external springs. It does lead to a more loose feel on center, but the curve shape ramps up centering force progressively as the lean angle increases. The lifting you feel is one reason I dislike strong leveling springs, especially on an “open” rocker that does not have a top and bottom deck connected with a hinge.
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You can get pretty close to an even feel without a counterweight by having a tad more pressure on the left side (same as flywheel). It works, but leads to unequal lean forces to either direction. I feel that a counterweight is the best solution so I think that is the right call.
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My only N=1 is that a rocker plate didn’t work well with a Stages SB20. I could never get the motion to feel anything but off. I think a lot of this is simply due to the weight - 138lbs - of the SB20. This is 90+% of my body weight, so any motion was massively exaggerated, and it made it hard to stay “stable”. I had the inflatable balances pretty maxed out for pressure, and no dice on feel.
Chad I kept meaning to write to you and forget… what’s the go-to for the “spring” under the rocker plates these days? I’m still using the yellow inflatable Spike Ball balls on mine, but I’m tiring of having them slowly lose air and taking multiple times off/on the bike to get them feeling centered once I add air.
Inflatables like those you have seem the most common still. Some people really like wheelbarrow innertubes and claim they leak less. I tried them and don’t like the rebound rate & feel.
I am on the E-Flex and fallen in love with the set it and forget it aspect of the rubber bumpers it uses. I don’t have a ready-made answer for you, but if I was dialing in a pure lean rocker, I’d be digging around places for rubber bumpers of appropriate size and durometer.
Just a super quick Amazon search shows the concepts I’d be looking to.
These cone style are very interesting to me and might be good with spacers set to give some preload.
McMaster has a wealth of options that might hold some gems
The challenge with these types of bumpers is mounting them to get proper leverage for lean, and also some “preload” with them under compression when the deck is level. That is key in getting a clean transition over the middle. Without preload, you get what I call “toggle” where there is a more notable on/off feel to the centering force each time you pass over level.
I think all of those are going to be way too hard. I had some really nice closed cell foam from a package that I was excited to use for this. Similar to a pool noodle I think. But the first few seconds on the bike and I took them out and went back to the inflatable balls. The foam didn’t have enough hysteresis maybe… like I just bounced back and forth from left-to-right and it was super stiff. The balls let you lean to one side and then gently push you back to the other side if you correct your weight balance.
I need to look into the E-Flex…. Ahh yes. But doesn’t fit the Neo 2T. Bummer!
Yeah, it will take the right size, shape and durometer. I recognize my first links there could be totally wrong, but I have seen enough in passing to think there are some options out there.
Foam can work but I found it can take a set over time despite being pretty reliable with less maintenance. That’s why I think a rubber bumper is a better long term solution.
- I never got to testing it, but made 90% of a hack for the Neo to use with an E-Flex. If you want, I can show you the concept and maybe even make time to test it this weekend.
Interesting. If you have the time, that would be cool, but not big deal. I was just checking out KOM’s rocker with their fore/afte add-on piece… but it’s pushing $950 for the set. Not sure that’s worth it over my current setup. I don’t currently have fore/aft though.
I have had their replacements rocker balls on my shopping list for a while. KOM Cycling Rocker Plate Replacement Balls
Yeah, the KOM package is spendy to be sure. The fact they had to split the two rocker motions is because Saris threatened them with a suit over the patent.
Now that Wiggle/CRC are locked out from the US (at least as of now), loss of the LifeLine option (even for pure lean) is notable in our market. Noting that, there are still some decently priced options for dual-action rockers from the likes of Rockr Indoor, Velocity, and others.
I even have a unit I need to build and test from TrainerTweaks that is built here in Montana. Looks like a cool unit with dual action for a great price.
If you stick with inflatables, I’d recommend getting a nice low pressure pump or gauge. Once you figure out what you like, topping up the balls on occasion becomes a fair bit faster vs on/off guessing.
Ha, that’s the truth. I’m currently using a spare 300psi shock pump with a needle valve screwed into it. Hahaha.
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I have this and it’s a solid pump with reliable gauge I use to 0.5psi precision.
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