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.
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.
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.
Wow that Rockr Axis looks pretty rad. Still at the $1000 price point, but the engineering looks solid. I want it all… a smart bike with up/down movement and 2-axis platform movement. I guess the Kickr Bike on a rocker basically, but I’m not sold on Wahoo after the debacle with my Kickrs several years back.
I pulled the string started with @jmvcolorado into the main Rocker Plate thread since it is partly off topic from the greater topic from the Saddle Sore discussion.
Yeah, the Rockr Axis would be fun to try. About the only mass-market high-pivot I can think of. And their manufacturing is reliable from all I’ve seen & heard.
Agreed that a Kickr bike (with or without Climb based on preference) is an interesting option. The footprint of the Kickr bike means it can fit on must of the tapered & tear drop rockers with no issues. It’s still my favorite smart bike and would be my pick if I chose to get one. Seems they have most of the bugs handled and I prefer the basic layout to all other smart bikes too.
With your Neo, I think you have plenty of options and it’s a matter of whether you really want to gain fore-aft as the real question.
I’m actually thinking of switching from the Neo Smart Bike to my 2T and springing for the Motion Plates. I remember having the Kickr Bike, and the climb function did tend to make me more mobile on the bike, and I have been having numbness issues on the Neo Smart, so maybe throwing my old and true friend Trek Madone on the 2T would be the best choice. But the price of the plates is still a little hard to swallow. Hmm… I didn’t see them on sale for Black Week.
Has there been any discussion of side to side motion versus fore and aft motion (like the new kickr, tacx, or inside ride solution)? I’m finding it hard to search on this.
Call me motion curious. I have a Kickr v2 that is perfectly operational. I was thinking that an Inside Ride e-flex would be an easy solution.
The other way to go would be to find a Kickr Move on a discount and then sell my Kickr V2.
Or deploy some other motion solution.
My other issue is that I have some asymmetry going on with my body. I always feel like I’m sitting crooked on a bike. This happens when I first get on a bike and outside, the feeling will disappear.
Indoors, I often feel like it’s hard to get my kickr feeling centered. I get on, start warming up, and will adjust the feet on my kickr almost every ride.
I’m wondering if I got a Move or an E-flex whether I’d always feel like I was falling to one side and fighting it.
I started my motion journey with a full season on DIY motion rollers (obvious lean and steer like all rollers, but also the fore-aft motion) and loved them. That experience and knowledge of the Kinetic Rock & Roll trainer is what lead me to make my first rocker, purely lean action. I spent at least 2 seasons on that pure lean and was quite happy with the results.
That was before fore-aft with rockers became a thing. I showed the ‘why’ of how lean action helped with saddle comfort in my old video. I never got a chance to try fore-aft with my saddle pressure mapper before it broke. I have always wanted to test pure F-A and the combined action to see what differences might exist.
In short, some people swear that one direction of motion is the key to their comfort while others just like both combined as the ‘best’ solution. I am not sure I can put my finger on which does more, but I’d expect lean action matters more in my case. That said, I prefer having both in any current solution I would use.
Likely not a surprise that I endorse this idea 100%. The E-Flex Plus is the best motion system I have used and still the one I will pick given my many options.
I don’t think so, but that is dependent on you. Too many people criticize the rocker for the movement they get when the reality is that the movement is caused by and allowed by THEM* and only them. I starred the word before with one notable caveat.
Proper rocker plate setup is an essential first step, but once done all the end result motion is from the rider. There is no magic here and the rider must take an active roll with their hands and booty to move and control the rocker.
I have seen and experienced this on a number of levels personally and with others. A rigid setup will often feel ‘wrong’ for people even with everything is “perfect” since it never moves. Asymmetries add to this issue and can lead a person to feeling better with some amount of lean being "right.
As such, I think a rocker is a better solution since the rider is able to find their own “center/level” within the movement range. This is better as a dynamic solution vs trying to dial in a fixed one and feeling it’s always just a bit off.
I do like the idea of the e-flex since if my Kickr ever goes kaput I could just buy a replacement (used or new) or even a Core with a different adapter clamp.
Here’s what I use with my Core. I believe it’s compatible with the regular Kickr. It’s cheaper than an E-Flex but it doesn’t have the steering ability and I assume it’s not as nice.
This is where I’m tempted to buy the 2T ‘rocker plates’. The 2T has side to side down, so front to back would be the only motion that they don’t do without a significant amount of effort and risk (joking). The problem is, it’s not ‘a lot of motion’. The amount of side-to-side sway on the 2T is good, but how does that compare to the front-to-back of their plate(s).
Their Neo Smart could sure use some movement in SOME direction, but that’s a different tangent.
I have not use the Neo Motion Plates, but from reading & watching reviews (specifically Ray’s recent Neo 3m vs Kickr Move video) the Motion Plates are a smaller option for travel. Not to say it’s bad, because most people I’ve seen try them end up liking them. Just a shorter travel option compared the the Move and other rockers with that motion.
If you can stomach their high price or snag them on sale, I see them as a worthy upgrade, especially if you are happy with the flex in the Neo frame.