Hedgehogs. These cute little animals became a pet craze around 2019, and it’s easy to see why:
This season, a fresh hedgehog craze is sweeping the Zwift community. These hedgehogs are larger, brighter-colored, and much less cuddly than the hedgehog you see above. They also require no feeding or maintenance!
Zwifters are using the hedgehogs (better known as “balance pods” or balance balls”) to bring motion to their otherwise static trainer setup. Put a pod beneath your trainer’s legs and viola!, it can bounce and jiggle. Here are a few setups I’ve seen:
With rocker plates costing hundreds of dollars (anywhere from $150 for a basic trainer-only plate to several hundred dollars for a full-length one with fore-aft movement), some Zwifters report that balance pods (~$25 for a set of 4) offer an affordable alternative.
I recently acquired a set of hedgehogs (better known as “balance pods” or balance balls”) for the purpose of testing. This set of four arrived for $25 to my door, thanks to Amazon. They quickly infested my pain cave:
I spent a few hours with these hedgehogs, testing them on a KICKR Core in various positions and levels of inflation.
Initial Tests
In my first ride, I had the balls flipped upside-down (so the flat side is up) because I liked the idea of my trainer’s legs being on a flat surface. I didn’t inflate or deflate the balls at all – just used them as they arrived.
My initial reaction was that the balls felt better than expected when spinning along in zone 2 with Coco. A bit of side-to-side motion, even a bit of fore-aft movement, and not a lot of noticeable bounce or other unwanted movement.
But then I tried upping the power, hitting 300-500W while staying seated. Things started feeling a bit more bouncy.
Then I stood up and rode around 400W for a few seconds… until my trainer fell off one of the pods, and the whole setup came falling down like a house of spiky blue cards!
I flipped the pods over (the spikes, I discovered, were hard and sharp and would quickly chew up my foam gym mats) and tested things that way. Much better. Less unwanted fore-aft movement, thanks to the pods being stable and flat on the floor. Progress! I made a quick video:
Continued Tests
Things were still too bounce for my taste, so I deflated the pods until they were just about as squishy as possible, without my trainer legs bottoming out when moving side to side.
This was less bouncy, and came with the added benefit of allowing my trainer legs to “sink into” the spiky top of the pod, so there was less chance of my trainer coming off the pod, even in a hard effort.
I tried some hard efforts: seated and standing sprints and out-of-the-saddle climbs. I couldn’t get my trainer to come off the pods, which was good.
But there were two things I didn’t like:
- Uncontrolled Motion: the pods allowed/enabled too much undesired motion. Too much bouncing, especially when out of the saddle and really stomping on the pedals. It felt like I was losing power, like climbing on a mountain bike with a bouncy rear shock.
- Restricted Left-Right Motion: yes, the pods allow more side-to-side movement than a static setup, but they only allow for 2-3 inches of left-right movement (measured from my stem), which isn’t anywhere near the natural range of outdoor movement or the ~10″ you get with a rocker plate.
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Conclusions: Static vs Hedgehogs vs Rocker Plates
So, are balance pods a better experience than a static setup? And are they an affordable alternative to pricey rocker plates?
My conclusion is: it depends. If you’re a rider on a static setup who doesn’t get out of the saddle or hammer high watts, a few low-psi balance pods may give you some extra movement that adds a bit of comfort and realism to your ride. If you ride a lot on Zwift, it may be worth giving them a try.
But for riders who get out of the saddle, sprint at high watts, and/or want a really stable setup, balance pods aren’t the answer.
I’m firmly in the second camp. But I’ve also been spoiled by using quality rocker plates for years, so I know what I’m missing when I go back to balance pods or even (*gasp*) a completely static setup.
Perhaps hedgehogs are simply “gateway rockers” providing an affordable way to test if you like a bit of motion in your setup. I can get on board with this. But if you find you like the movement, I’d recommend giving a rocker plate a try. Because a set of balance pods adds nothing to your setup that a rocker plate doesn’t do better.
Your Thoughts
Have you tried balance pods on your setup? Are you using them now? Share your thoughts below!
Static faster.
My Concern would be the effect of the twisting motion on the trainer (ie KICKR Core or Zwift Hub) – not designed to have four independent floating contact points.
…and the frame of the bike too. A trainer weighs jusssst a bit more than a wheel 😅
Yeah was going to post exactly this if no one else had. I have a kickr bike on a rocker board. The whole bike is supported as intended so the motion is through the board and the frame isn’t stressed. Using these would allow large twisting forces to be applied across the entire bike and possibly damage/break the frame. Not keen on this idea at all if I’m honest.
Also the twisting nature on the body. I have tried then but after the first week noticed pain in my left knee, not something that I had for years of Zwifting, and after recovering and deciding to remove them, not something I had again over weeks of use.
We’re all different so if people want to try, best of luck, but not for me I think.
I’m convinced the design of the Kickr (flywheel offset) and rocking motion led to premature wear of the flywheel axle on my Core. Still using a rocker with the replacement however!
My Kinetic wheel on trainer looks like the one pictured at the top of this article. I borrowed some of the balance pods to test them out. The motion felt OK but my trainer was making too many creaking noises so I quit using them. I have been using little square pieces of spiky rubber mats though. They don’t bounce but provide just a little wiggle.
Great post! I would love to hear your thoughts on adding some plywood to the top of some hedgehogs (might need more for the front then) and testing that.
Also sounds like most zwifters could try using the balance orbs for steady rides and going static for races/bigger efforts.
A top deck alone doesn’t do a lot. If people add holes aligned with the pods, along with straps connecting the trainer and deck, they can have more security than the trainer on the pods alone. It’s better in one fairly important way (safety), but still has the same overall functional issues (bounce in particular).
If you take your deck and then add a vertical support down the mid line of the bike under the trainer, this creates a fulcrum support that gives real benefits. It is what I call a “T-Plate” due to the shape. This middle support eliminates the bounce which is a big gain. It also forces motion to a pure lean direction along the support. This is not perfect, but a lot more like what we get when leaning a bike outside when compared to 4 separate “springs” that we get with these pods.
This is about the most simple and least expensive real “rocker plate” that I think is appropriate for longer term use. It is a big step up from pure pod support.
I used 2 foam yoga blocks for midline support, works great for me.
I’m in this camp. I bought some closed cell “gardening’ pads (that gardeners kneel on) and placed them under the door arms of my kickr core. I flip them over when they get compressed and are slow to spring back. These give just enough movement to make a 3 hour session more comfortable and completely stable during my meager 600-800 standing watt sprints. $20 and done!
I have the same question, what if you put these pods on some plywood? So,it becomes a plate, but with the pods underneath.
Sonic🤣🤣🤣. I tried them and it didn’t feel too stable to me, but there are people who love them.
For long 100 miles cat D ride, those hedgehogs are great!!!
BTW, for races I take them off. Trainer on the floor. Long rides more than 45 mins, put them on. Easy!
Crazy that Kurt Kinetic solved this years ago with their Rock n roll…shame they never did a good smart trainer…but that rock n roll was a great trainer for motion…now folks are back to doing these sorts of crazy things…
True, Kinetic nailed the concept but chose to lock the feature to their own trainers. Fine business decision other than their inability to move forward and keep pace with other trainers. They’d have done well to do what I did based on their inspiration, make a trainer agnostic solution with much further reach.
Outside of that, these more basic motion solutions are fine and work well for many. For others they serve as a taste test which can lead them towards more refined designs with better functions. No different than every aspect in cycling, having options to suit a range of budgets, preferences and needs applies to trainer motion.
I have a Kickr Snap on a spongy gym mat and added balance pads just to the front legs. I get a few inches of side to side motion if I apply more power, or can ride almost motionless. I think it helps!
Interesting that you deflated for more stability. I was thinking of inflating to make the pod a little more rigid.
Now there is an experiment. The gauge on my bike pump is not resolute enough to do a real test setup though…
Is there anyone here who tried them with a Tacx Flux trainer? Will the “Y” contact point be stable with those pods?
just tell people, you’re losing watts by using them and the fad is gone.
Not at all. I mean of course you’re ‘losing watts’ but that’s not really why I have them there. Mostly I’m training for ironman, so that can be a 7 hour ride (ok, with ‘comfort’ breaks 😀). Just the slight removal of harshness makes that doable.
Anybody trying with the Tacx Neo?
Sure, it’s been done as seen in the Zwift and Tacx FB groups.
I use the balance pods on my tank of a smartbike, the Stages SB20. They made a world of difference to me. I have less hip pain, and I think the added movement makes me be able to push out a few more watts. Eventually, I’ll get a proper rocker plate. My wife uses 2 on the legs of her Snap. She likes ‘em too.
Briefly tried them – hated them. It felt like I was going to fall over at any moment every time a got to a sprint arch. Wouldn’t try them again unless I’d anchored them and the trainer legs down so it couldn’t tip. Also, to be honest it also made me realise I quite like the planted feeling on the trainer and don’t need it to feel exactly like outdoors. I’ve even put a backboard behind the rear legs now which prevents the rubber feet on my Kickr core constantly coming loose (which also once made me feel like I was about to crash when one of those feet came completely off.
I’m using poly foam, 2″ thick, 2.2# density. More comfortable than static. Not a great deal of movement, but very little bounce
viola! 🎻🦔
Very informative, thanks Eric (and Sonic).
Long ride on little buggers and static with races and workouts.Simple setup.
If you put to much air in those pods, how do you remove that?
One way is to stick the inflation needle in without a pump attached. Use your finger over the open end to start/stop air coming out.
Very simple. Did not think of that. Thanks.
I used racquetballs, cut off the top 1/3 of the ball, under my KICKR core. Worked quite well for me.