As my Zwift sessions were getting longer and longer in preparation for Randonneurs Brevets in 2022, I began seriously considering getting a rocker plate. My main aim had nothing to do with a “more realistic” ride indoors, but with having a more comfortable one with less saddle pressure, as some tests seemed to demonstrate.
I laughed at the “friends” suggesting a DIY Rocker Plate, as the only DIY things I am able to perform are undisclosable publicly.
Following some exchanges with teammates and Eric, who is a rocker plate evangelist, I received the Lifeline Rocker Plate on January 17th, 2022. At that point I still did not know I was about to enter the fourth, fifth, or maybe sixth dimension. These can only be reached by taking the red pill or, as I learned, getting a rocker plate.
Editor’s note: the LifeLine Rocker Plate is sold by Wiggle. It is essentially identical to the KOM RPV1 Rocker Plate we reviewed last year, which is available on Amazon.
DIY Challenged Luciano Strikes Again
Don’t worry, they said, mounting the rocker plate is so simple, it takes max 5 minutes. Well, 5 minutes for a common mortal is equivalent to 2 hours for “Worthless Hands Luciano”. I will not detail the entire adventure but it was very far from “nothing can go wrong”. I’ll let your imagination work, knowing that it will be very far from the burlesque of what actually happened, no matter the creative effort you put into it. Hint: it seems inflating balls to similar PSI is a very challenging task for me.
In addition to being useless with my hands, I am utterly impatient. That is why I immediately started my first rocker plate Zwift session at 1:30am. Disastrous. I felt almost seasick, nothing was in its right place, I could not properly coordinate my movements and had the impression I was going to fall all the time.
The First Date With My Rocker Plate Did Not Go Well
At that point I was cursing Eric with the worst maledictions ever, ranging from “I hope from now on you always and only get the anvil powerup” to “I pledge you lose all your Zwift bikes”. I was THAT angry.
Editor’s note: the anvil powerup I can deal with. But all my Zwift bikes? I thought we were friends, Luciano!
I decided to interrupt the workout and go to bed to give it a night. However, I “discovered” that going to bed infuriated is highly counterproductive. Your brain begins a negative loop to finish fuming. There is no other outcome possible other than acknowledging you are not going to be able to sleep. Therefore it made absolutely no sense to stay in bed…
So my second Zwift rocker plate session started at 4am that same night (morning). It was now a matter of honor between the rocker plate and myself. I would not retreat.
This time I adopted a totally different approach: a very long Z1 spin running into a Z2 warmup to feel and understand the rocker plate dynamics and motion. I was psychoanalyzing my rocker plate, empathizing with it. Allowing an alignment and finally a common understanding of the situation took a while. But I became The Rocker Plate Whisperer.
From then it was a steady and short learning curve. In two days I no longer noticed or remembered I had a rocker plate, and the blisters and sore b**t I was experiencing after long sessions almost disappeared (I have also changed to Chris Horner Noxzema bib short moisturizing procedure and maybe that helped too).
Don’t Touch My FTP!
One of the fears I had before BRPE (Before Rocker Plate Era) was caused by some owners reporting a loss in FTP of close to 5% attributed to the rocker plate motion. Watts were mystically disappearing from their cleats to the smart trainer. That would have been inconceivable, an absolute no-go for me. I would rather lose an arm than 5% of my FTP. For real. In fact, I had already decided that if this happened, I would recycle the rocker plate plywood to feed my fireplace or the barbecue. Rocker plate barbequed steaks would have been a solid consolation prize and the perfect destination for any kind of object threatening my FTP.
During the first week, the workouts seemed more difficult: l felt I needed more effort to produce the same amount of watts compared to BRPE. I attributed it more to an adaptation to the rocker plate than to a real power loss.
My structured training plan had a 5-minute max power test the 24th of January 2022, just one week after the rocker plate arrived. I beat my all-time 5-minute personal record by 17 watts. From 406w to 423w. +4.2%. Hallelujah!
I have also used Assioma power meter pedals to compare with the smart trainer and the average power for the session was 0.2% difference (1 watt), meaning the same kind of differences I had before the rocker plate. We are safe. I can now enjoy my rocker plate without fearing a drop in my power output. It’s a wonderful life.
A 10k vEveresting Accompanied by Walter
The ultimate test for the rocker plate was my vEveresting attempt on January 29th. That’s another story which you can read here, however, from a rocker plate perspective there was a huge difference compared to my last year’s vEveresting attempt: a much more comfortable ride and substantially improved figures.
As it was clear it would be part of the family forever, it was time to give my rocker plate a name: Walter.
All in all, the experience is extremely positive. Only two weeks into the Rocker Plate Era I can say I would never go back to BRPE.
What About You?
Have you tried a rocker plate? What was your experience? Share below!
Hey Luciano.
I love your humoristic posts and “self-humiliation”.
Out of that same angle:
I want to point out that loosing your arm WOULD IN FACT increase your FTP wkg! 5% could be quite likely be achievable…
I hope you never really consider that route of FTP increase 😀
does your FTP estimation only takes account the weight loss of losing an arm or also the CDA improvement?
Still debating if I need one! Any changes to 15s power?
I am the crappiest sprinter ever, so it was scientifically impossible for my 15s power to drop :). Eric is way better placed to answer that one…
If anything, a rocker plate should let you BOOST your 15s power, as you’re able to use your upper body to move the bike and add to the overall power, especially out of the saddle.
But it comes down to technique. When I get on a static setup now, I can’t sprint well. ESPECIALLY out of the saddle. Not until I’ve been on it for several hours so my body relearns the technique of sprinting on a frame that doesn’t move (which is super unnatural, by the way).
I think it goes the other way as well – if you’ve trained yourself on a static setup, a rocker plate setup may feel a bit weird and hard to put big efforts into, until you’re used to it. But I would argue it’s pretty easy to get used to, because out of the saddle motion on a properly set up rocker plate is (pulls number out of thin air) 85% similar to outdoors. Whereas a static setup is nothing like outside.
I told you … “Rocker Plate Evangelist”.! In my case I am totally converted so I say Hallelujah!
That’s how I felt as well. Being able to tug back and forth on my handlebars like we do outdoors helped my peak power quite a bit out of the saddle. The proper side to side (vs reversed) might take a minute to get the hang of but assuming you have the balls properly (not) inflated it isn’t bad.
My 15 second power went up a little bit. My 10 second power went up 10%. Being able to use my arms as I do on the road helped quite a bit.
Put these on the kickr bike, you don’t suffer the “wrong direction” tilt problem then either.
2″ Platinum Silicone Hemisphere Bumper, Non-Skid Isolation Feet with Adhesive – 8 Pack https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RRFQKV5/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_XYWD4ZRBGRSRPRHSX9TZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
😀 Getting the plate levelled (incl. rider – without, the trainer’s centre of gravity is off to the flywheel side) is by far the biggest task! For my DIY plate my goal was to use minimum damping and to avoid a base plate to have the rocker plate supported completely elastically. So I’ve calculated a moment equilibrium taking into account plate, trainer and myself as the rider, just to learn that moving the trainer on the plate by the smallest margin messes everything up 😛
A tiny rotation around the vertical axis will significantly move the front wheel/Climb – even took that into account and designed the front support to be adjustable but still it did not work out as I hoped.
Started with wheelbarrow innertubes as dampers left and right, now I’m using folded towels (quite stiff in comparison) as I also see the biggest benefit in those small angle movements to increase comfort during “normal” riding.
Planning to try speaker box damper pads, too, maybe using different elasticity layers to achieve a dynamic compression curve.
I lost you at “DIY” 😂😂. Immediately understood that I would not understand a word moving forward. I confirm it is the case. But without understanding I still admire you a lot! For me any manual task going beyond opening a beer can is science fiction.
I think you’re too modest 😉
The short version would be: I struggle with equally inflating things, too 🙂
I too ride a DIY rocker plate. Though plate is a bit of a stretch. It is basically a 5 inch wide bar of steel. Originally I used inflatable balls for leveling/suspension. I could never get the balance right. Then one of them popped mid ride (yes you can crash in zwift). Then I used multiple layers of foam shims. This worked well for a while, then the shims compressed and shifted side to side. My current (and hopefully final) solution is to use a 1/8 inch x 2 inch bar of steel as a spring. It is about 18 inches long. I clamp it to the rocker in the center and support it on both ends. On a traditional rocker plate you would have to clamp it in the center near the front (where it is thin). I wound up putting some felt pads on it to get rid of a tapping noise that happened when I rocked side to side.
That’s another interesting solution. Thank you, Paul! You seem to be a steel enthusiast – as a naval architect I can relate 😉 Although I used wood for the rocker plate, needing width for the original Kickr Core – which broke exactly when it was finally ready to use, and got replaced by a Kickr so that I had to re-design the fastening…
Good to hear your experience also regarding the foam shims. I’ve been thinking how to keep them in place guessing it could be an issue.
With the innertubes I experienced wear, too. Luckily they did not pop but rather deflate over a few seconds which saved me on two occasions…
As longer rides became more painful and thus less desirable, I read Eric’s reviews and decided to add a rocker board (KOM Cycling) to my setup. As you noted the movement it provided, ±13% left and right, was disorienting at first. However, I quickly adjusted and can’t imagine riding without it now. I have less pain/discomfort as my weight shifts much more realistically as I ride. They aren’t inexpensive but are a nice upgrade if you plan on doing a significant amount of Zwifting.
Totally agree.
Nice article Luciano 👊. Love the tone of voice 😁. Currently testing the Leeze boom board pro via paceheads. So far so good. Levelling was a bit of hit and miss, but it feels very natural to ride now. I didn’t have particular issues before but I don’t think I would want to go back to a static setup. Can’t comment on watt losses or gains as I am less focused on those, but will keep an eye on it the coming weeks. Can definitely recommend!
Thanks! I think the fact it gets the longer rides more comfortable is clear. It is like everything, you don’t know what you were missing until you have it and then there is no way back
I too am a rocker plate evangelist – I’ve got a Pedivella for my wattbike and I highly recommend. Whilst if I am totally honest my top end sprint power has gone down slightly (because I’m too mal coordinated to stand), my FTP has boosted and my increased ability to hold high watts for longer is well worth it. I find it much more comfortable for long rides. After ZRL I need to follow Eric’s advice and really focus on seated sprinting since every other part of my riding has improved since rocker plate arrived.
Did my first very long TTT today and beat my P60 ever without even focusing on it ….
I also recently added a rocker plate (KOM Cycling). I also have a KickR Climb and quickly learned that to use both simultaneously, I need to affix some rails to the RP so that the Climb cannot shimmy off the center line and leave me listing like a wayward ship. Forced to choose one over the other, I would pick the Climb as I climb a lot (about 20K feet weekly). But I like the idea of having both and am committed to adding the rails so I can have my cake and eat it, too.
I was going to ask about using a Kickr Climb with a rocker plate, but you pretty much answered my question. Do you have any idea what kind of rails you’re going to use?
Luciano, I didn’t realize you were a randonneur – nice! What’s your biggest ride? Are you planning to do PBP? I’m only (“only”) up to 200k and hoping I can somehow manage to get that up to 1200 next year. I also like doing long rides on Zwift and $240 isn’t terrible, so you’ve got me seriously considering trying out a rocker plate myself. Do you use your Climb with the rocker plate, and have you had any problems with it moving around?
I also started last year with a friend. We did 200km and will do 300km and hopefully up to 600km this year.
And yes, the dream would be to do PBP at one point in time. The problem I have is I want to do everything!
Sorry did not answer the last part as the whole message was not showing. For me it is not that bothering the movement. I see what Eddie refers to and why he could feel it strange and would want to block the kickr Climb with rails though. So I am going to ask him the same than you did: what kind of “rails” are you thinking about?
I use a Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer. It’s the equivalent to having a rocker plate. I cannot speak to power advantage, because it’s the only format I’ve ever used, but I CAN say the “suspension” effect is totally awesome for my 68 year old butt.
Rocker plate convert here. Not even sure what has happened to any of my power numbers but I can tell you that the comfort level is so much better that it isn’t even comparable to before my rocker plate. And when my bum doesn’t hurt, I can better focus on turning cleaner circles with my pedals. Which seems to give me more power deeper into rides. In summary, the longer my ride, the more it helps.
There is another thing I don’t know how to explain, but the tilting helps also using the hips to push harder when needed. It is like the rocker plate allows other muscles to intervene than when in fix mode
Luciano…love your story 🙂 I absolutely love my KOM rocker plate. My butt killed me before and now I am a much happier camper/biker 🙂 Tx to another Zwifter Njoythesuffering for the heads up! It didn’t take long to see the benefits. I don’t think I will ever go back! What’s next?:)
“what’s next”: that is exactly what my wife said when I told her that with the rocker plate I have completed my setup. Hahahaha. What’s next is always the question, right?
I’ve been using a rocker plate for 2+ years now. The differences are subtle, but are definitely there. I can now manage 2 hours of riding without excessive pain. I have no objective proof concerning any effect on my power but subjectively things seem about the same. Bottom line—increased comfort on longer rides is probably the biggest reason to take the plunge.
If you ever need to balance the air in the rocker plate again you could do what I do: whine a little to Eric asking him to air it up for you while you’re riding…then yell at him if he pumps one side up too much. Works perfectly and effortlessly every time.
😂😂😂 I wish I had an Eric at home too… Where did you buy it? 😂😂😂
Just a couple plane tickets and a weeklong hotel stay in Spain and I’m there, Luciano. 🙂
Don’t forget the pump 😂
I’ve read Eric’s rocker plate (one of them) articles and the climb Vs plate thing (or steering vs plate). I can say one thing: I can do a lot of hours on the trainer but when the climb had to go to the shop I noticed my rear hurting a little from static position. I still don’t. Really h serdtsnd rhe plates but when the climb came out I knew I wanted air and the ability for gravity to shift forward and back must make a huge difference. Also at the end of some ride I manually tilt it up to relax my arms more too to cool down. Not saying it’s better but re: moving around if good …. Sounds like both work there.
Great and funny article, love it. But for me it is not the same. I had a Leeze Boomboard last year for some weeks and did my vEveresting on he Plate, but what should I say? I was not that happy with the Plate so I sold it and I still manage more than six hours in the saddle. And my power output is better than during the time with the Plate. Crazy.
I purchased a KOM rockerboard and gave it a good go. For whatever reason, it’s not a fit for me. If anyone wants to purchase an almost new KOM rocker board, feel free to message me!