Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Today’s DIY upgrade to your indoor riding comes courtesy of Brian Nystrom who read Sheri Rosenbaum’s review of the Elite Sterzo steering device for smart indoor trainers: https://www.roadbikerider.com/elite-sterzo-smart-steering-zwift-review/.
Brian left this comment:
“If you want to add the freedom of steering without connecting to Zwift, you can do it very inexpensively and it does make a significant improvement in the comfort and realism of trainer rides.
I installed a lazy Susan from Home Depot between a couple of layers of ¼-inch plywood scrap I had kicking around and attached the riser block from my Tacx Neo to it. Because mine sits on a fairly deep carpet. I put short wood screws through the bottom plate at all four corners, to keep it from moving around. For hard floors, thin rubber pads or feet would do the trick. Total cost was around $10.
I would post a picture of it here, but apparently that’s not possible.”
Details for Making Your Own
I replied asking Brian to send me a couple of pics and more information to help any of you who might be interested. Note that Brian’s device is for making your actual bike steer. If you’re riding in a virtual world, such as Zwift, his steerer will not make your avatar on the screen steer (the way the Sterzo will).
Brain explained, “the lazy susan is attached to the base plate with very short sheet metal screws and to the top plate with machine screws and nuts. The Tacx wheel block wedges tightly between pieces of quarter-round molding glued to the top plate. The pencil line is the center of the pivot, which is helpful for making sure that the front axle is directly over it.
Commercial units I’ve seen are typically angled upward so the pivot plane is roughly perpendicular to the steering axis. I chose not to do that and after using it, I’m glad I didn’t. As it is, turning the wheel causes the front end to rise very slightly and it also puts some lateral pressure on the block. This creates a modest self-centering effect as it tries to find equilibrium, which feels somewhat akin to the self-centering one gets on the road.
While the overall effect feels more road-like, it obviously has limits. The most noticeable one is when you try to negotiate a tight corner in a video and the bike doesn’t lean as it would outside. I have closed-cell foam blocks under the feet of my Tacx NEO, which permits a few more degrees of lean, but it’s still not close to the real deal. At some point, I may build a rocker plate, but I haven’t gotten to that yet.
As for my complete setup, it consists of the trainer sitting in front of a black wire shelving unit that holds a large fan (aimed at my head and chest) and a 24″ Dell all-in-one PC with external speakers (I got it cheap at an estate sale). The front fan is connected to a speed controller (a Home Depot item) that hangs on my handlebar.
Everything is connected to a smart UPS, so it all turns on when I power up the PC. I have a ceiling fan overhead and if I sit up straight, I can reach the pull chain to change the speed. I’m still experimenting with an accessory table for a mouse, a phone, a towel, food and such.
Although I have overhead lighting, I actually find that having just a small lamp behind me works better for watching video on the PC.”
Very cool, Brian. Thanks for sharing your clever outside the box hack.
Ride total: 9,899
I must be missing something. Most road bike turning is done by leaning the bike, which is actually steering with your hips. Unless there is a trainer system of which I am unaware that lets one lean, I do not see the point of needing to steer while on a trainer. The Zwift idea makes sense apparently for Zwift use, but it clearly does not replicate leaning into a turn or even leaning to change one’s line in a group ride. So am I missing something? I’m open to persuasion.
Hi Fixieguy,
Brian mentioned that he’s working on a way to allow his bikes to lean. Some indoor trainers do lean – either by the trainer having the ability to rock side to side or being on a platform that has it.
Still, I’m reading mixed reactions to steering on trainers in Zwift from friends who’ve tried it (I haven’t) and reading the same in the forums. One advantage is that you can choose the less steep side of the road on climbs and save energy that way – my friend tested this at said it definitely works. But, that same friend has a fixed handlebar so he can’t turn them.
To steer he has to click buttons on his levers. And, he said that takes concentration and timing and becomes a hassle as rides go on. It’ll be interesting to see how steering develops over time. To me it doesn’t seem like it’s quite ready for everybody yet.
Jim
Thanks Jim. Interesting idea with interesting issues. I use an old 9-speed Ciocc on an old Kurt Kinetic trainer with my iPhone on Spotify and my ear buds in. The job gets done. I’ve always believed that winter is off season and not for training, but just for a little maintenance. I ride outdoors if I can because I like it, but I don’t even think of it as training. I ride on the indoor trainer because I choose not to ride outdoors in unsafe weather and I want to do some maintenance. Then again, I’m 74 and just trying to stay fit and healthy. If others want to push, God bless them; I hope they have a good time.
The main advantage of being able to steer the front wheel is the freedom of movement. In practice, I probably rarely turn the wheel more than 15-20 degrees – much like on the road – but that’s enough to make indoor riding more comfortable and realistic, as it simulates the subtle, natural movement you get when pedaling outdoors, even when riding in a straight line. This is also the main benefit of having a trainer that rocks somewhat; you just feel less constrained by the trainer. I find that even subtle movement reduces the strain on my neck and shoulders, and even reduces saddle soreness somewhat.
That said, there’s obviously no way to fully simulate leaning a bike into a corner. In fact, it always feels odd when I’m immersed in a video and come up to a sharp corner or intersection and I instinctively try to lean the bike. At times, it’s even disconcerting and disorienting, but I guess that’s because I’m really attentive to the video and enjoying it, treating it like a real ride, at least in my mind.
If you’re not sure about whether you’d like this or not, there’s a simple way to test it. Instead of using your trainer’s front wheel block, stack up hard material (wood, books, catalogs, etc.) to the same thickness, and rest your front wheel on that instead. That will allow it to turn somewhat, albeit with some resistance from the tire. If you like it, you can build a steering setup; if not, you haven’t lost anything.
Here’s a link to the lazy Susan bearing I used: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-6-in-Square-Lazy-Susan-Turntable-with-400-lb-Load-Rating-49548/203661089
It’s currently $4.48, so I guess I overestimated the cost to build my steering setup.
I bought a Sterzo Smart and returned it after a frustrating 24 hours. My problem was getting it to pair with Zwift via bluetooth and Apple TV 4k.
Somehow I succeeded once and did a ride on Zwift. The steering worked as advertised but I didn’t think much of it for the reason Brian mentioned. It isn’t like real riding in that steering with the Sterzo is 100% with the handlebar. And it takes a heap of handlebar movement — as much as 33 degrees — to cross the width of a lane.
However, on rides when the Sterzo wasn’t paired but was still under my front wheel, I kinda liked it. It felt more natural to be able to pivot the handlebar a bit as my avatar made turns. I realized I was doing it without even thinking about it , just tracking my avatar. No leaning, of course, but it was closer to natural than with the handlebar being locked straight ahead.
Not being as crafty or patient as Brian, I just ordered a Sterzo Dumb (my term), which appears to be the same wheel block but without the Smart’s electronics. The price was $60 at Amazon, about half that of the Sterzo Smart. It provided smooth, noiseless, stable rotation with self-centering so I’m trusting that the Dumb will, too.