azza_333

I use a Tacx Neo to ride on Zwift a few times a week. General my butt gets too sore to continue riding on the trainer after about 40min. I have read that it is a common problem, that a bike that is comfortable out on the ride can become uncomfortable on an indoor trainer. I have also read that a rocker plate may help make it more comfortable. So I was thinking of getting a Saris MP1.

Can anyone who has experience with rocker plates comment on if they do increase saddle comfort, and if so how much did it help? and how much did it extend your comfortable ride time by?

jadocs

Have you tried standing up occasionally to relieve the pressure on your rear?

BloomBikeShop

The root of the problem is not really the bike, it's that there is no need to move. No obstacles, no corners, no hills, nothing. Thus, it's easy to remain in the exact same position - a recipe for discomfort in any type of seat. That would never happen outside.

The quick, free fix is just to stand occasionally and try to change your position throughout the ride. Even just shifting your weight slightly forward or back can make a huge improvement.

I'm not arguing against a rocker plate, but man, $1200? That's a significant expenditure. And here's someone who had the problem on rollers - https://coachlevi.com/cycling/numbne...s-not-outside/ - so I don't think rocking around is enough (by itself) to prevent numbness and soreness.

Tom L

I don't have a rocker plate, but I have had my wahoo kick R set up on 2" soft foam rubber for the last two years, I doubled it over under the feet supports of the wahoo, it gives me about an inch
of movement back and forth on the bike, while it doesn't do much for my seat, I thought it would take some pressure off my bike frame and trainer bearings ect. seems to work ok and was a
very cheap from of a rocker for the trainer

I also think a stationary bike is the real deal for bike fitting , I am always trying to make small adjustments to get the perfect fit, and small adjustments can extent seat time by 15 minutes normally
for better or worse, I've only had one seat and set up that got me too 75 minutes without any discomfort, then I try a different seat and try that for a few weeks, most only give me comfort for 45 minutes, then they seem only get worse with further adjusting , so I'll switch it out and try something different, one of these days I'll find the perfect fit for me and be able to get 2hrs without any
discomfort, but it has been the impossible thing to find so far.

canklecat

I wear thicker padded shorts and stand more often for indoor trainer sessions. Inexpensive Przewalski shorts with Dupont 3D CoolMax pads are very comfy for this. Even if you prefer bibs for outdoor rides, these shorts are very comfy for long trainer sessions.

And I'll do longer intervals standing to pedal for up to 5 minutes at a time -- usually around a minute every 10-15 minutes.

nomadmax 

Get some of this and apply it to hot spots BEFORE you get on the trainer or rollers.

https://www.buttpaste.com/

Dancing Skeleton

I put squares of HD packing foam under the feet of the Kickr, which provide just a little side to side & minimal fore/aft movement, but enough to soften the ride and take stress off of the bike & me. I've also used balance pods , which make the Kickr float, both are great at making two+ hour Zwift rides painless.

colombo357

I have an MP1. It won't magically make indoor riding comfortable, but the difference is noticeable. Aside from the rocking, which slightly relieves pressure, it's the ability to resist shock from body weight shifting that really adds up over time. It's mostly the back and forth motion from the MP1 that helps with this.

Some of the responses in this thread:

azza_333

Thanks, I might just bite the bullet and order one then, even a small improvement is worth it to me.

ingo

I made my own for less than $20, simple and effective going on three years now and 25,000+ km on Zwift. No need for complex springs, bearings, pivots or platforms.I recommend having one.

cappelwsu

Please share more pics of your rocker plate and share what's under the "wings". That looks fantastic

ingo

Springs are a Nerf football cut in half under each wing.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/110296...posted-public/

sfrider 

I was just looking at my Kickr Core and thinking it should be pretty easy make a pair of U shaped foot tubes to allow the bike to rock. (Kurt Kinetic used to make a dumb trainer like that in the past.)

peoplepower

Google the E-flex Kickr platform. It does everything the MP1 does for roughly 1/3 the cost.

FYI I have no control over any ads that show up in this post.

sfrider 

The E-Flex is only compatible with the Kickr though, not the Kickr Core, and doesn't work with a Kickr Climb at all.

I ended up ordering a KOM RPV1, which is not trainer specific and should work just fine with the Kickr Climb. It should arrive somewhere around the end of the month...
I will report how my a$$ feels on it after 3+ hours, something which is currently impossible with my current setup!

Canker

GCN just built one on their channel. I'm right there with you, 40 mins is about my limit if I don't want to hurt. I did the Alpe Du Zift just so I could say I did it a few weeks back and the up and down took 1h48m and two days of my butt killing me. At this point I've just decided 30-45 mins is all I'm going to do and I'll just do them more often. I don't care how much I stand or move around unless I'm standing the whole time it doesn't matter lol.

unterhausen

I think getting a rocker helped me significantly on longer rides. I no longer have the situation where I failed to stand up for too long so it hurts to stand up. I have fore-aft movement on my plate. Not sure that's really necessary. I find the fore-aft motion a little annoying when I stand.

superdex

I was in the same boat -- 40-50min tops. I dialed in the fit a little more and replaced the saddle, which helped, but even with a new saddle (a Fabric) I top out at 80-90min without having to move around somewhat. So yeah, I'll hit pause or stand here and there. The foam under the trainer trick looks interesting -- how does it feel during out-of-the-saddle sprints?

spelger

i'm sure rocker plates do improve comfort, i'd like to try experimenting with something myself. but for my rides in real life i do get off the bike from time to time. generally on the trainer i never get off the bike, unless i drop my towel or water bottle.

genejockey 

I haven't had any problem with sore butt from riding the trainer, until I did the SST Short workout on Zwift. Spending the entire time seated, pushing near threshold, never standing just doesn't provide any relief. As soon as I finished that workout, I had to get OFF THE BIKE. Luckily the next day was a rest day and the day after that I had no issues.

When free-riding on Zwift, I mimic how I ride IRL - standing for steep pitches, or for sprinting, or just for a change. I rode an hour and a half on Friday night with no issues, but I was sprinting the sprints and getting out of the saddle for the rollers, etc.

spelger

how about just taking a short 5 min break after a long 45-60 minute climb? IRL i sure do that. in zwift not so much. i do stand in zwift when climbing or the rollers or sprints like you but that is not enough. IRL sometimes i need to walk and stretch, i still don't in zwift though.

genejockey 

I have been known to push hard enough on the virtual descent that I can go into supertuck, and then as my avatar flies down the descent I'm standing up on leveled pedals and stretching. But yeah, it would somehow feel wrong to stop and take a break at the top in Zwift. Even supertuck feels like cheating, somehow, even thought IRL I coast down a lot of descents once I'm up to a reasonable speed.

Dirk de Chablis

I managed 3hrs on Saturday, my legs are still burst today. I've looked at rocker platers and I like the idea both for pressure relief and you also work your core. It needs to be set up loose so it replicates riding on the road, I would build my own rather than drop $1200 on OSD and squishy balls.

YellaFella

I have more than 50 hours on my Saris MP1. I wrote up my experiences in a blog post.

TL;DR -- I love my rocker plate. It's made a huge difference in my comfort and ability to train indoors longer.

sfrider 

The KOM and E-Flex are much less than the Saris though, but yeah, even $450 is pretty expensive for what it is...