DIY RipRow: Mountain Biking's Best training tool - What is it, How I built it and Is it worth it?

[@casestudymtb]

I didn't really cover a ton of specifics in this one so if you wanted to put one together... gunnels and central support cut to 36" Rockers cut to 24" with roughly a 3'(ish) radius I positioned the bb on center (though I might suggest just sheeting the top if you have ply available as opposed to mounting cranks, these just worked for what I had laying around). I based the lever length on my preferred reach and stack measurements then calculated the lever length. The rest can more or less be figured out through watching the video but if you have any other specific questions let me know!

[@lee_likes_bikes]

Its fun to watch this progression. The production RipRow is the product of many, many tests and iterations. When we found the hydraulic dampers, it really made everything sing.

[@casestudymtb]

Totally, its like I say in the final thoughts, definitely not the real deal, but not without value either. Thanks so much to both of you for checking it out, it legitimately made may day!

[@VeloJake]

I'd rather people buy yours, I'll be pissed if you go out of business before my new house gets built and I'll have space put one so I that I can order it. Hopefully RipRow is thriving.

[@JoyOfBike]

You are awesome. I have photos of all the riprow prototypes i made from MDF!! With very similar experiments with bands and springs. Love it!!!

[@casestudymtb]

Thanks so much! Definitely not as refined as the real thing but as you know, you gotta start somewhere. In the end I'll say this, I'm glad I gave Joy of Bike a shout out in this one for the 30 people in Edmonton who maybe don't already know haha.

[@benjucius5275]

Love ur work and style; and the fact that Lee and Alex commented. Keep it going 👊🏼

[@casestudymtb]

Thanks man and ya, super cool those guys got in touch, definitely made my day!

[@rednek_mtb5977]

You should add a block 2-3 inches below each pedal to serve as a hard stop if you start to lose balance, that way you can practice keeping your bodyweight centered over the bottom bracket as you go through the motions of the bike rotating under you

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

Great project. My son’s studying product design at school and they’ve used this video because of the analysis, reflections & design-compromises you provide. Thanks for the video 🤙

[@casestudymtb]

Thats the most awesome use case I could imagine for this video. Thanks for letting me know!

[@adamlake9507]

Oh! Okay... Now I see why the Riprow costs $1200. Manual Machine = DIY. Riprow, not some much for me haha. If I could afford one, I'd get one. Great share dude. With my wood working skills, thank you for saving me from an epic failure haha

[@alxtomlinson]

If you look at a pilates reformer, you can add and subtract springs for your workout, you could have a set of 3 springs to front, 3 to rear and take off load for whichever direction you want to work on. Also, like dirt jumpers who dont want their cranks to spin, you can add tension with old tubes wrapped around the bb

[@TheAsbrooks]

Love it.! I have been following Lee and Alex for a couple of months. The hip hinge philosophy I believe has improved my riding technique a little.. When I remember it that is.

[@casestudymtb]

Haha totally, that's the benefit of repetition right? No slow, laborious, conscious thinking necessary! Muscle memory all day, just let the reptile handle it.

[@brentleblanc2421]

Nice work! I just set my bike petals on top of 2/24" step ladders, then added 2/2x6" pieces top of the ladders to increase the downhill angle, just to get the motion down. I was considering how to add tension next... Love Lee, and Joy of Bike!

[@casestudymtb]

Man, I love that idea, you could probably just add some weight to the front end if you have some 1 inch weights and a through axle (and don't mind rolling the dice haha). I wouldn't go too heavy for fear or trashing the fork but it would get you some nice resistance for the Row motion at least. Most people push a ton more than they pull anyway so If I had to choose one...

[@michaelclark5796]

You could just add bands anchored at the floor front and back

[@paulverheijden805]

Enjoyed watching the process of experimentation. It showed me how difficult it is to come up with a device that will be helpful. Loved the comment on the will it end up in the same pile as the balance machine. Thanks

[@casestudymtb]

Spoiler Alert. I built an even better version that used dampers and it still ended up in the manual machine pile. Fun project, waste of time. Haha.

[@s0ckeyeus429]

I made a fake one that was a bit simpler construction than what you did. I found it better to work with bands pulling from just one direction at a time. Ultimately, I bought a real RipRow though. It's way better, of course, but it was still cool to try to figure out how to make one and get some insight into what went into creating the real machine.

[@sparkbike]

You da man!!! I love your work and effort! It is a great reference.

[@mattdudester9037]

Great timing. I started thinking of how to build a rip row using an old bike frame. Was thinking weight plates front and rear, bands but then stair stepper pistons. Might be a fun project to build before the summer heat. I'll learn from some of your trials. Thanks. *Edit ha ha 2 more minutes in the google machine and I see that the original Riprow started as a bike frame. Well I guess if I'm going to rip off the idea rip it off in its original form.

[@casestudymtb]

Haha totally, if having the saddle is a must for you then it makes good sense to just use a frame. If not, like Alex said in the comments, setting the lever as close to the bb as possible creates the same geo needed for patterning so a straight lever works just as well from a patterning stand point. I've been getting a lot of use out of my "mark I" already and, after getting feedback from Lee and Alex, I have a pretty clear idea of the improvements for mark II. I'll definitely be doing an update video before too long with the changes I make but I'd love to see how yours shakes out! I finally got onto Instagram so shoot me a line when you're done!

[@JohnDoe_toetag]

Loving the soundtrack. Thx.

[@Sekhmet6697]

Have you thought about getting a small trials bike? You can practice trackstands, rear wheel hops etc. in a really small space with guaranteed upper core, back and arms pain in just 20 minutes! 😁

[@casestudymtb]

N+1, I think about it everyday haha!

[@vmoutsop]

Hey, $100 is better than $1200 and it seems to work pretty well, so I give it a thumbs up!

[@casestudymtb]

100% and I'm already working on a v2 which is feeling even better!

[@avc8130]

Did you see Riprow sells just the dampers now for $40 each? so for about what you spent on the bands I wonder if you could put those into your creation?

[@JinPheh]

Random thought: What about some gas struts? Like something used to hold up a car hood? Those are pretty cheap and would give you the help and resistance you're looking for.

[@casestudymtb]

I actually had a few laying around that I tried out, both in conjunction with the bands and on their own Since they're pressurized to expand on their own its similar to just bands, but less adjustable and in conjunction they aren't strong enough to make much difference. I actually prefer just bands. That said I do have a second video in the works with some pretty extensive changes and some cool experiments using actual dampers.

[@donnbialik9085]

Did you look into sourcing dampers? It would be pretty easy to make with them I bet.

[@casestudymtb]

I actually did, but I only checked out AliExpress and I couldn't find the right stroke length or anything at a reasonable price when I was only planning on picking up 2. Mostly I wanted to build it with stuff I already had (or kind of needed anyway). That said, I'm in the process of modifying the old frame to work with the actual riprow dampers that Lee and Alex sent me for a follow up video, I'm literally just waiting for glue to dry.

[@Mustermann29er]

@@casestudymtb Great Video! What's the length of the original damper (eylet to eylet maximum and minimum length)? Does it have auto rally or not? Many thanks for your help!

[@danjim503]

maybe repace the rubberbands whit Gasdampers , like they are used in cars to lift the backdoor. And fix the bar in the same spod it would be on a bike? maybe possibel

[@casestudymtb]

Sounds like you should check out my "Refining my DIY RipRow" video ;) I think you'll be much happier with the outcome!

[@tomsouthworth8343]

@4:40 - How many beers later?! Easy, big fella!

[@todd4471]

They sell dampers on their website for $40/ea, so that means you spent more on bands than it would have cost for 2x damper lol oops! i wouldnt have guessed that

[@casestudymtb]

That certainly may have changed the trajectory of my initial build but I do like to play fast and loose when it comes to executing an idea... but be that as it may, I actually just finished a mark 2 that can run dampers, bands or both just today, I'll be refining it and posting something in the coming weeks.

[@sebastianreddan1647]

I am scared for your family jewels when one of those bands snap or the eyelet comes out.

[@casestudymtb]

Well the nice thing about wood is that it won't fail catastrophically. There is zero chance of the eyelets stripping out, not with the tensions I'm using, and as for the bands, as with anything you put tension on, they need to be inspected for wear to make sure they're safe to use. The band that broke during my test was zero surprise, those bands were all seriously frayed. With fresh replacements in place. No worries... for now.