I have been considering getting a rocker plate for some time now, but I thought I would wait until more information was available.
I currently train on a TACX Neo.
It seems to me that there are now numerous companies making them, and the prices range from a few hundred to over a thousand. I certainly don’t want to sacrifice quality just to save a few dollars, so I am interested in hearing from all of you who have tried them.
What do you recommend?
I have no direct experience (though I’ve been tempted to get one myself), but here are some reviews:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/05/kom-cycling-rvp2-rocker-plate-review.html
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/saris-mp1-nfinity-motion-platform-rocker-plate-review.html
And if you have a KICKR, there’s always this option:
https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-trainers/kickr-accessories/kickr-axis
Hope that helps!
And if you have a KICKR, there’s always this option:
https://www.wahoofitness.com/...cessories/kickr-axis
Hope that helps!
I’ve always wanted to try a rocker plate/stand but ordered these because I just can’t see spending that much for a rocker plate.
Saris MP1 is expensive but awesome, super high quality and works real well.
I definitely can spend a lot more time on the trainer with it (but its still not the same as riding outside)
The TrainerRoad forum on the topic is likely your best source of information, including some likes for DIY options.
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/rocker-plates-for-trainers/1981/192
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my suggestion after a few different things ive tried.
stay away from anything with inflatable balls that regulate the rocking. no matter what they will leak down or rupture / pop at some point. they will get unbalanced and you will find yourself with a freaking level across your rocker plate trying to inflate each side to get it level, then one side will be stiffer than the other and it wont feel right.
i finally said eff all this and bought the saris mp-1. thing was horribly expensive and i really questioned my own sanity for spending what i did on it, but after the first few rides i was in love. it wasnt a half-assed feeling solution, it felt exactly like what i wanted the indoor riding to feel like. the fore / aft movement adds so much more comfort to the ride.
my suggestion is save your money and just get the mp-1. i know its a lot of money but in the long run, for the amount of time spent on your trainer, you’ll much more enjoy riding.
I’m very happy with my DIY version (using inflatable balls). Check out that trainineroad thread.
my suggestion after a few different things ive tried.
stay away from anything with inflatable balls that regulate the rocking. no matter what they will leak down or rupture / pop at some point. they will get unbalanced and you will find yourself with a freaking level across your rocker plate trying to inflate each side to get it level, then one side will be stiffer than the other and it wont feel right.
i finally said eff all this and bought the saris mp-1. thing was horribly expensive and i really questioned my own sanity for spending what i did on it, but after the first few rides i was in love. it wasnt a half-assed feeling solution, it felt exactly like what i wanted the indoor riding to feel like. the fore / aft movement adds so much more comfort to the ride.
my suggestion is save your money and just get the mp-1. i know its a lot of money but in the long run, for the amount of time spent on your trainer, you’ll much more enjoy riding.
I know this post is old but just wondering if you’re still liking the mp1. I honestly wish saris would sell it as a combo deal with the mp1 + h3 for like $1600
I DO want the mp1
But wow the price. The H3 itself is less expensive than that
I predominantly ride outside, but when I do ride on the trainer (Tacx Flux S) I need to be able to ride 2+ hours sometimes. I was running into saddle soreness at about an hour, so I looked into a rocker board.
After a little research I opted for the Rockr Pod Lite, mostly because it was an experiment and at $100 or so I felt like that was similar to the time and money I would need to spend to build something.
I love it.
It’s kind of cheesy that it just Velcro straps to connect the trainer to it, and it has the plastic balls, but it works great.
I don’t use the balls, as I find that I want it to rock as easily as possible. Most of us have trained ourselves to stay steady on the saddle, so you have to learn to intentionally rock to get relief from a stationary position. The more active the rocker plate the less you have to exaggerate the rocking motion.
As it’s just the trainer and not also the front wheel up on the board you can just turn the bars a little and find a pretty balanced spot if the trainer is not perfectly centered. I’ve found that to be most practical rather than repeatedly sliding it around and/or using a counter weight.
For me it has been game changing. I used to hate riding the trainer and now I can easily put in 2 hours of Z2 while watching TV with no numbness or pain. I never would have gotten out of the saddle on a rigid trainer, but I will get up about as frequently as on the road now, maybe every half hour or 45 minutes.
I DO want the mp1
But wow the price. The H3 itself is less expensive than that
It’s a hefty price. I ride inside more and more. Definitely year round I ride at least 2 times a week inside. And more and more in the winter anytime it’s below 35 I’d prefer to ride inside. So that bumps me to 2-4 times per week.
I didn’t get into Unbound Gravel this year so I’m trying to convince myself that money was already spent so why not spend it on the mp1. Lol
I will say I also like that the saris is so solidly built and no need to use inflatable balls. Not that that’s horrible.
I DO want the mp1
But wow the price. The H3 itself is less expensive than that
It’s a hefty price. I ride inside more and more. Definitely year round I ride at least 2 times a week inside. And more and more in the winter anytime it’s below 35 I’d prefer to ride inside. So that bumps me to 2-4 times per week.
I didn’t get into Unbound Gravel this year so I’m trying to convince myself that money was already spent so why not spend it on the mp1. Lol
I will say I also like that the saris is so solidly built and no need to use inflatable balls. Not that that’s horrible.
Everybody hates the little inflatable balls!?!
I would recommend putting an inexpensive carpet or mat under the board to slow it down slightly and foregoing the balls.
The balls just slow mine down and tha’ts the whole point is to rock, so I like it better without them.
I predominantly ride outside, but when I do ride on the trainer (Tacx Flux S) I need to be able to ride 2+ hours sometimes. I was running into saddle soreness at about an hour, so I looked into a rocker board.
After a little research I opted for the Rockr Pod Lite, mostly because it was an experiment and at $100 or so I felt like that was similar to the time and money I would need to spend to build something.
I love it.
It’s kind of cheesy that it just Velcro straps to connect the trainer to it, and it has the plastic balls, but it works great.
I don’t use the balls, as I find that I want it to rock as easily as possible. Most of us have trained ourselves to stay steady on the saddle, so you have to learn to intentionally rock to get relief from a stationary position. The more active the rocker plate the less you have to exaggerate the rocking motion.
As it’s just the trainer and not also the front wheel up on the board you can just turn the bars a little and find a pretty balanced spot if the trainer is not perfectly centered. I’ve found that to be most practical rather than repeatedly sliding it around and/or using a counter weight.
For me it has been game changing. I used to hate riding the trainer and now I can easily put in 2 hours of Z2 while watching TV with no numbness or pain. I never would have gotten out of the saddle on a rigid trainer, but I will get up about as frequently as on the road now, maybe every half hour or 45 minutes.
Interesting comments - I may give this a try.
I originally had (actually still have) an old Kinetic Rock n Roll and that thing is awesome, but I grew tired of wearing down tires and now that I have an ability to use erg it’s hard to go back. I initially purchased what I think is the “full rocker pod†that has both front and back mounted, but in comparison to the rock n roll I hated it, and I also thought the balls messed things up. I never considered the rear only option, nor did I consider not using the balls at all, so for $100 that seems like a reasonable option.
I predominantly ride outside, but when I do ride on the trainer (Tacx Flux S) I need to be able to ride 2+ hours sometimes. I was running into saddle soreness at about an hour, so I looked into a rocker board.
After a little research I opted for the Rockr Pod Lite, mostly because it was an experiment and at $100 or so I felt like that was similar to the time and money I would need to spend to build something.
I love it.
It’s kind of cheesy that it just Velcro straps to connect the trainer to it, and it has the plastic balls, but it works great.
I don’t use the balls, as I find that I want it to rock as easily as possible. Most of us have trained ourselves to stay steady on the saddle, so you have to learn to intentionally rock to get relief from a stationary position. The more active the rocker plate the less you have to exaggerate the rocking motion.
As it’s just the trainer and not also the front wheel up on the board you can just turn the bars a little and find a pretty balanced spot if the trainer is not perfectly centered. I’ve found that to be most practical rather than repeatedly sliding it around and/or using a counter weight.
For me it has been game changing. I used to hate riding the trainer and now I can easily put in 2 hours of Z2 while watching TV with no numbness or pain. I never would have gotten out of the saddle on a rigid trainer, but I will get up about as frequently as on the road now, maybe every half hour or 45 minutes.
Interesting comments - I may give this a try.
I originally had (actually still have) an old Kinetic Rock n Roll and that thing is awesome, but I grew tired of wearing down tires and now that I have an ability to use erg it’s hard to go back. I initially purchased what I think is the “full rocker pod†that has both front and back mounted, but in comparison to the rock n roll I hated it, and I also thought the balls messed things up. I never considered the rear only option, nor did I consider not using the balls at all, so for $100 that seems like a reasonable option.
Reach out if you have any questions.
I tried a wheel on dumb trainer briefly, but wearing out the tires, the noise, lack of resistance, and now definitely realizing the power of ERG it would be hard to go back.
I’ve never tried the boards with the whole bike and trainer on them, I can see how having it basically perfectly balanced would be essential. Good luck with it if you do try it!
BTW, just checked and the price has climbed to $199. Not sure if I got mine on sale, they changed the price, or I just forgot how much it was. Sorry for the misquote.
my suggestion after a few different things ive tried.
stay away from anything with inflatable balls that regulate the rocking. no matter what they will leak down or rupture / pop at some point. they will get unbalanced and you will find yourself with a freaking level across your rocker plate trying to inflate each side to get it level, then one side will be stiffer than the other and it wont feel right.
i finally said eff all this and bought the saris mp-1. thing was horribly expensive and i really questioned my own sanity for spending what i did on it, but after the first few rides i was in love. it wasnt a half-assed feeling solution, it felt exactly like what i wanted the indoor riding to feel like. the fore / aft movement adds so much more comfort to the ride.
my suggestion is save your money and just get the mp-1. i know its a lot of money but in the long run, for the amount of time spent on your trainer, you’ll much more enjoy riding.
I know this post is old but just wondering if you’re still liking the mp1. I honestly wish saris would sell it as a combo deal with the mp1 + h3 for like $1600
yep… still using it with my wahoo kickr bike and still really enjoying it.
the one thing ive noticed, since it does have fore / aft movement it seems that the rollers for fore / aft have sorta wore themselves a sweet spot and maybe “wallowed” out a groove, if that makes sense. the fore / aft movement seems like it has a little hump to overcome to get any big movement. im too lazy to pull my bike off the rocker to do any maintenance at the moment as i didnt anticipate this and pretty much painted myself in a corner on the setup… gonna have to move a lot around in order to break it all down, flip the saris unit upside down and do some (probably required) general maintenance.
aside from that, i can still get adequate fore / aft movement. i had a longer 3 hour trainer session the other day and still feel that its a big step up over the cheaper units available (IF you have the disposable / allotable income to purchase one).
at my remote work location i ride a tacx bike and its a fantastic unit, but in compairson to my home unit, i freaking hate it and dread using it. its just not comfortable for long rides.
from what I’ve read many reviewers seem to feel the fore and aft is a big difference maker and not just the side to side. The mp1 certainly looks very well built.
The Kom cycling rpv2 also has good reviews so that’s an option too although they now sell it as the RPV1 and then you buy the fore aft kit separately. But I’m partial to the mp1 with its single board. Kom has 3 boards.
It’s definitely expensive but I’m definitely not riding less indoors that’s for sure.
I actually went ahead a ordered the Kom rpv1 rocker.
I just could not justify the price of the mp1 no matter how solidly built and without any ability to adjust the amount of side to side movement on it seems like an oversight especially at that premium price point.
At least with the Kom rpv1 there is adjustability and if I really feel fore aft movement would be beneficial I could purchase the add on kit later
Anyone have experience with the Velocity rocker? Seems to be a reasonable price point.
I built my own full motion rocker plate system. Wheel on trainer, full length rocker with fore-aft. LOVE IT !!! Ask me anything on the build, happy to help if anyone wants to build their own.
I built my own full motion rocker plate system. Wheel on trainer, full length rocker with fore-aft. LOVE IT !!! Ask me anything on the build, happy to help if anyone wants to build their own.
I don’t understand the idea behind a rocker plate
I know I need something. I have been riding on trainers since 1980 and really enjoy it unlike many others
Maybe put way over 100,000 miles on indoor trainers
I want to find something to relieve the saddle pain. But seems to be getting worse and worse the older I get.
As soon as I go outside the pain is gone
Is that what a rocker plate is for?
Do you intentionally rock on it