Getting ready for winter indoor training, I’d like to add a rocker plate. I don’t have the money for a prebuilt, but also don’t have most of the tools needed for a full DIY. Does anybody sell precut wood to make a DIY rocker? Basically, I’d like to build one like the link below, and own a drill and tools to put stuff together, just no way of cutting the wood into the shape or cutting all the mounts. What I’m looking for is a way to get the wood plates/sheets precut and predrilled, then I can buy the other hardware and put everything together. Is this possible?
It is possible, but I am not aware of a company selling them outright.
An option that many have used is to dowoad the plans from my group (the We Ride South plate is very popular) and take it to a local wood shop that has a CNC router table. I haven’t looked myself, but some cabinet shops and the like may be an option.
Worth making some calls. That said, I don’t know how much you can expect to spend on a “custom” job like that vs buying on od the complete rockers.
What is your budget? Some of the lower prices options like the KOM Cycling and Lifeline (via Chain Reaction Cycles or Wiggle) may be the lowest priced ones with vibe mounts.
Ideally, $500 or less, since I’m buying a new computer as well (from my previous post).
That’s what I’m looking at. The Lifeline would be $300 shipped. I could try it out with just the side rocking, and looking at the build list, adding fore/aft would cost another $100-150. I’m curious about the wood quality as that’s the main part I’d be using. The KOM appears to be the same design, maybe higher quality build, but would cost a good bit more.
Both of those rockers seem to come from the same source (RideNow is the actual company and maker from what I have seen).
The KOM gets different finish, but they are functionally the same. I can’t confirm what you would actually receive, but I’ve seen 2 reports from KOM buyers ordering g the single motion RPV1 and actually getting an RPV2. Not totally sure, but it looks like they discontinued the RPV2 and may just be flushing old stock.
As to wood quick it sounds like decent stuff, but not the top level birch that some of the makers say is “the best”.
So I purchased the 3/4 Birch Plywood and cut it out already.Have the M10 50x50 insulators.Are you guys using M10x25mm flat screws?Wondering if they are to short or using something different that would compensate for the thickness off plywood.Would the bolt be long enough?
I recommend longer screws. My basic rule for a threaded connections is that the thread engagement between both ends should be at least as long as the diameter of the screw at minimum. I prefer 1.5 or 2 times engagement whenever possible, to make sure there is no risk of stripping threads.
I was just browsing AliExpress looking for headsets for my commuter/work trainer bike (please don’t judge, I can’t justify the cost of the premium options which are all that’s available locally) and the following item popped up.
I have seen that before, but not considered it in this sense. It mainly moves straight up and down, although it may allow some twist or lean off angle to the sides.
Based upon my testing, I’d guess that the Left-Right lean is most beneficial. Others recommend fore-aft as the more likely contributing factor to comfort.
This is mainly vertical travel, but it sure could lead to change in loading on the saddle support tissue, so it just might work.
The thing I dislike about this is the potential for constant changes to saddle leg extension. Depends a lot on how much it actually moves though.
For a low price, it seems like an easy thing to test.
So I set up the trainer today to get an idea.Still not finished.I do notice some vibration noise when under load.What are you guys using to absorb some noise?
Noise control is sometimes trick. One maker (Rockr Indoor) uses a special rubber sheet applied to the top and bottom surfaces, to dampen sound. Their owner is a “sound guy” well schooled in acoustics, so he has a better handle on this than most.
Some have used regular rubber sheet glued to the deck and bottom, but results vary.
I ended up going with the Lifeline as it was like half the price of the KOM Cycling version ($250 vs $480). So far it’s been good. No complaints on build quality. The KOM looks better IMO with the black/red paint, but they’re pretty much the same.
Only have a handful of rides on it so far so I’m undecided on how I like it. Honestly, I hardly notice a difference to no rocker. I have the air balls at around 8psi and can lean side to side to get the edges to touch per DC Rainmaker’s suggestion at getting the right air pressure. But while riding I hardly move. I don’t feel or see a noticeable rock even during VO2 efforts. I have to purposefully try to rock to get much movement. So far, it feels very similar to the trainer on the ground. Maybe the PSI is too high but I can lean all the way max if I try so I don’t know. For out of the saddle efforts, it’s a weird feeling. To me, it’s not similar to outside riding. Maybe I’ll figure out how to get a better feeling.
Yeah, I highly recommend at least testing with lower pressure. I run around 3-5psi to get a much more active feel. I am 145lbs nekkid and like low force of movement. It “forces” me to be active with my handlebar control. This lighter leveling spring force also makes standing a bit more natural.
That said, general comfort gains can happen at these higher pressures, but I find that dropping from what people often start with is a good idea. You may hate more movement, but it’s so easy to change that I really think it’s worth dropping 1 or 2 psi and testing. It’s easy to add back in if you hate it.
