Yes, in general, lighter springs require more core and upper body use. Think of the extremes between a rigid trainer and rollers.
That’s the beauty of a rocker plate. You can adjust for as little or as much movement as you want. I usually ride in a loose setting, so it’s more natural. But I also add pressure and stiffen it for some tougher workouts so I can focus on the effort more than the balance.
So, I see it as more about particular workouts in general. But you are right that many in the Build phase would lead to stiffer settings for me.
the linear bearings I have experience with don’t allow much radial motion at all. Or maybe it’s just that they are larger diameter linear bearings than other people are using, don’t know. There are linear/rotary bearings, but they are expensive. People seem to be using inexpensive 12mm bearings, and say they rotate fine.
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Personally, I don’t like the linear bearings either. I have a different set of solutions in mind.
Hi @tonyLPowell - can you tell me what kind of elastomeric pivots you used to make your rocker plate? I’m trying to decide between building one following a pillow block bearings and metal rod design or going with some kind of elastomeric pivot/rubber bushing design. Ideally I think I’d like a little bit of fore/aft motion along with the more prominent side to side rocking. The SBR Rocker Pro mentions that the custom elastomeric pivots they use allow for 15mm of fore/aft movement, but I have no idea what pivots they’re using (I emailed them but go no response). Can you tell me where you got yours (make/model)? Thanks!
The SBR mounts are custom modes in a special rubber durometer (hardness).
You can use an of the variety of rubber vibration mounts. A common size that people use is the 50mm x 50mm one.
They are available from a variety of sources if you search on the name. There are also lost of links posted in the Rocker Plate group on FB within the individual threads.
I have the Rockr pod, so they are the custom ones that are mentioned. The pod is the smaller one SBR sells so I feel more of a light bounce than fore/aft movement.
I’m sure SBR will answer soon. The holiday probably delayed their response.
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one of the cycling websites had a video of the CycleOps. It has linear and rotary motion. Looked pretty nice other than the fact that it is huge. I just watched DC rainmaker’s video about it, the motion setup is really clever. I assume that’s why it talks about patents in big letters on the top platform. I think you could do strength training moving it around your pain cave. It needs wheels and handles for moving.
I am going to look in my junk collection for parts. I think I would like to include linear motion because I feel like my butt pain comes from the trainer’s rigidity in the fore/aft direction.
I plan to do some testing with my pressure mapper, to look at linear motion too.
I need to build a better test model and will report when I get the testing done.
I decided to have a go at building rocker plate myself, went with an elastomer pivot and a full length design. It’s a 60" x 28" footprint with 6 (3 per side) closed cell foam “springs” on the edges and 4 elastomer pivots - I used some unused engine mounts (45 durometer currently) from my work. From a few rides it’s much more comfortable, especially when on the aerobars.
I’ll throw up some pictures of my build later when I get back home from the holidays.
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Awesome. Sounds like a nice build and I’m glad you can already tell a positive difference.
Happy rocking. 
@mcneese.chad I was thinking of going with the first one (32" x 60"), but it seems a little tight to my untrained eye. The second one is 36" x 62" with a little more wiggle room and easier to draw on the wood.
Measurements for the smaller 32"x60" size below:
The board is exactly 60" from back of mat (next pic):
Very little clearance at back:
And 32" width seems a little tight but probably doable:
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I find the 32" width has worked for all my trainers.
- CycleOps Powerbeam, Kinetic Road Machine, CycleOps Magnus
- CycleOps Hammer, Wahoo KICKR
That 60" length should work, but again, maybe a bit longer could be safe.
I try to stay as small as possible since I have limited space, but you can sure go la bit larger if you have room and want to play it safe.
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For references here are the max length and with of my SBR Rockr.
35" x 62"
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did you buy the SBR or DIY?
I bought the SBR complete. Its.the 1st generation with the bearings and shaft.
Curious, how do you compare SBR to DIY? I’m not going to drop any real money on SBR / CycleOps / etc.
The SBR is nice, but almost overkill. My simple hinge and other PVC rockers give pretty much all the same feel and movement for less.
If a person is willing to DIY, there are many ways to make them and have a great solution. The new vibration mount direction is nice because it is so easy. I want to make one of those along with some other new designs I need to test.
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Picture 5 or 6 of these along the center axis of the rocker plate. They have threads in each of the flat sides, pure runner in the middle, and slimy flex left and right.
Here is a quick example, but most seem to be using the 50mm x 50mm size.
Here is the base and vibe mounts installed. The top mounts right on it and the mounts become the hinge.
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