Just completed my first session on my Rocker Plate.
Love, love, love the movement. I’m definitely looking forward to my wee pump-with-gauge arriving, as I am finding it very difficult to make sure all four balls are equal.
Initially there was a sort of constant lean to the left which wasn’t ideal. Eventually I have got them pretty even it seems. Not much movement, just a subtle amount, which seems perfect. Even when I had low pressure when I was pedaling evenly/with consistent effort there wasn’t a lot of side to side, just a risk of gradually flopping to one side or the other.
It feels especially good at Endurance pace. I’ll see if there’s an improvement to comfort at the end of my Endurance portion.
I would absolutely recommend a Rocker even after one session.
Chad & other other builders, I’ve got some time this summer to build by rocker plate. I’ve read the google doc and Rockit plan in the first message. (Thanks for all that info, by the way!) I’ve also skimmed the more recent messages here. It seems like inflatable balls are now used more than stacks of foam.
Does the Rockit plan need to be modified much to use the balls? Do you attach velcro to the balls, create some sort of “cup” for them to sit into, or is pressure enough to hold in place?
Nope, I have successfully swapped in 4-6" diameter balls with all of my original Rockit Launchers and they work great.
I partially inflate the balls, slide them between the deck levels, and fully inflate. The surface contact and force, along with constant engagement even at full lean angle, keeps the balls fully in place.
If you used smaller balls (like 2-3" or tennis balls that some use), these can shift once the top deck lifts up to disengage from the balls. But I’ve never had issues with ones at least 4" big and my general spacing (about 6-8" away from the center pivot for each side, 12-14" total space between balls).
Just placed an order with trainer tweaks on Etsy for his rocker plate that you assemble at home. Looks like a cool product. The seller has been awesome
So far.
I got to borrow a buddies when I did Disaster last year. He had the lifeline pro one. It was great. Looking forward to the extra motion. I’ll update when I get it.
It’s been an adjustment period for me with the M1 from Saris. Not only did I go rocker, I also put my TT bike on full time trainer duty… and the weather finally turned awesome here again, so let’s say my motivation to get the trainer setup dialed has been… low… this last week.
Curious about this? Adjustment because the mp1 doesn’t function as expected or just an adjustment bc of other things? I was on the Kurt kinetic rock n roll for years prior to moving over to a kickr several years ago, I keep looking for a plate that’ll give me similar feel to the rock n roll but haven’t come close with anything I’ve tried so far that involves inflatable balls. I’m planning to purchase the mp1 today/tomorrow, but I’ve been hesitant for 2 years bc of the price tag and nerves it may not provide what I’m after
Very interesting. Can you expand on the differences you feel in the newer rocker plate testing you have done in comparison to the Kinetic R&R? I am always curious to learn what people feel and prefer for feel. I might have some suggestions for alternate setups depending on your current rocker plate on hand.
For the most part unrelated to the functionality of the MP1 itself…
I haven’t been on my TT bike since 2018 and now it’s on the trainer.
I have a new TT bike fit position that is more comfortable than my old one by far, but still an adjustment.
The MP1 has made me move my entire trainer setup around, so I don’t have my fan positioning dialed in yet (I need to put a shelf on the wall to get my back fan in position since there’s no space for my prior solution; and the MP1 needed to be moved away from the wall so my screen is off-center.)
The MP1/trainer appears to be about 2-degrees off level, so I need to make some adjustments to the feet positions and such.
The combination of a rocker plate and putting my TT bike on it has me sitting a lot higher off the ground than before, so it’s just a little bit unsettling. I get over it after a minute or two.
Really just a lot of little things that aren’t a function of the MP1 itself. And then the weather has been just gorgeous here this last week after a prolonged heat wave, so I’m more inclined to take my riding outside right now anyway.
Overall, I’ve done two rides of 48 and 34 minutes on the trainer last week due to time limitations on those days, both zone 1 or zone 2, and my TT bike was more comfortable than before. The MP1 itself is just a part of a lot of change all at once to my indoor trainer setup.
I have no experience with the RnR, but the MP1 provides plenty of rock for me, and the fore-and-aft motion is helpful when standing to get a smooth transition so my wheel doesn’t shoot backwards when I stand up. I know Chad has some feelings on the MP1, but the price point right now was what pushed me over the edge to get one.
[quote=“kurt.braeckel, post:987, topic:1981, full:true”]I know Chad has some feelings on the MP1, but the price point right now was what pushed me over the edge to get one.
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Thanks! I just happened to google it again a few days ago and saw several options in the $7XX range and that made it easier to swallow than $1.2k it had been at for so long.
Does anyone think there would be a noticeable benefit using a rocker plate with a recumbent? Standing is right out the window of course, but maybe it would make long Z2 workouts a bit more pleasant?
Seems like some motion sure could help. I’ve never spent much time on one to know though.
You can try the hack of using some thick foam under your current setup to try and add some movement just to get an idea if there is a benefit for that position.
This is pretty much limited to indoor/spinning type bikes vs bike and trainer. Could be a decent option for those with stuff like the Wattbikes, Stages bikes and even might work for the Neo bike. Considering the triangle footprint of the Kickr bike, I don’t think this is appropriate without some mods to the lead foot on the Kickr version.
I do giggle a bit at the animated gif’s, with the exaggerated motion and incorrect lean to pedal timing
Depends a bit on the final surface they offer and the floor in use, but I’d expect it to be rather quiet in most cases. There could be some noise if there is any “shifting” in use. But with anything like a thin rubber coating on the contact surface, I’d think it will be nearly silent.
As far as pressure, it does possible reduce the contact surface to a more compact area. Even with a decent width, the curved aspect is likely to offer less surface support than the 4 feet on some bikes I have seen. I wouldn’t expect an issue unless you had a rather “fragile” floor surface.
