Inside Ride, best known for its E-Motion Rollers – an inventive design that allows the rider to hammer on the rollers without fear of falling off. It’s taking that same free-floating design and applying it to smart trainers – Wahoo smart trainers to be precise.
Its new E-Flex motion system takes Inside Ride’s Floating Fork Stand (FFS) and pairs the design with an active rocker-style unit.
The FFS is a popular upgrade for the E-Motion roller system and allows the rider to pull naturally on the bars while getting some side-to-side motion. The nice thing about the FFS is that you can move the bars almost like you’re steering – unlike most of the mounts that secure the front wheel.
To be clear – the FFS doesn’t offer any smart steering and is not Zwift steering compatible like the Elite Steerzo. Instead, the unit gives riders the ability to naturally turn their handlebars about 30 degrees and generate up to 6 degrees of side-to-side rocking motion, all controlled by handlebar pressure.
The FFS paired with the E-Flex rear allows the rider to have a full 3D ride experience – allowing for side to side and back and forth motion, but off of a fixed plane. The units hold tension with resistance bands, allowing the rider to float naturally on the platform.
The E-Flex and FFS do not take the rider far off the ground like some other platforms, they keep the same distance as 700c wheels. Inside Ride argues that the E-Flex Motion System puts less strain on your bike as well as the rider. You can read more about the debate of E-Flex vs. Rocker Plate on Inside Rides Blog.
Another great feature of the E-Flex System is that the full unit takes up about the same storage space as the trainer (without the bike installed). A common drawback of large trainer platforms is storage and portability. Most are like storing a sheet of ply-wood but the E-Flex and FFS fold up easily, turning a training studio – back into a normal basement.
The FFS and E-Flex Motion System is compatible with all fork styles and most trainer styles; though it’s currently designed to work with Wahoo products. Hopefully, we’ll see more compatibility soon, but it seems the unit is so popular it sells out every time it comes back to stock.
