I have been using a turbo trainer for a few years now for fitness and also like other cyclists around the world using it on trainer road, RGT, sufferfest and zwift to name a few, I in the end settled on zwift which I found best suited me. However when spending a longer time in the saddle, I did like others, suffer some discomfort and when I researched this on the internet little did I know but there is a large community who had a similar view and had found many solutions to the problem – “the rocker plate” and at the same time helping to achieve a more immersive interaction with the prefered training programmes.
I first saw that you could purchase a rocker plate which had movement forwards and backwards as well as rocking side to side for a snip at £1200, this seemed far too expensive, more than the cost of my turbo for a start, and then I came across a facebook community “Rocker Plates” which I joined and found a wealth of knowledge, designs, different solutions to the problems. On one of our club Zwift rides I had a discussion with members over discord that morning about the pros and cons and hearing their ideas and views I decided to proceed with making my own.
Version 1 was an old bit of kitchen worktop balanced on some tennis balls with a wheelbarrow inner tube either side to take the sideways strain. This was far too wobbly but I did find myself leaning in to the bends as I was cycling around watopia strangely enough and also it more comfortable so that was it, on to V2
V2 had more thought and planning but basically expanding and improving V1.
I went for the side to side version not the 4 way as I felt this was enough for the first real attempt.
I popped my turbo and bike on a couple of sheets of old wallpaper and drew out a plan for my rocker plate. I had a look on the internet and then spoke to my friend who has an engineering company and discussed the anti vibration is isolators I would need and ordered them and the other parts, the 2 sheets of 18mm ply which I made the rocker plate with, 2 aerosoles of paint for the colour scheme I had chosen and the strip lighting I had lying around, believe it or not.
I started on Friday afternoon and was finished by Sunday afternoon. So not too long at all. I had a lot of fun making it and am very happy with the result both for design and comfort and for leaning into bends 🙂
Thanks for reading and I hope it has been of interest, if you have any questions about the project please ask.
Just so you have an idea this came out at about £200.
Happy cycling
Giles
