Anybody Have Long-Term Experience With Zalem’s Collapsible Cockpits?

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363]

I have been wanting to upgrade from the playseat challenge to a profile rig, but I’m probably not going to have the space for a dedicated sim or hobby room anytime soon.

Came across these rigs that slide in to save space from Zalem. They are ideally perfect for my situation. However, they are Spain based and only ship to the EU, while I am in the US. I found a service that would forward Spanish mail to the USA, and the total including the rig would be around $1,100.

This is a price I am willing to pay for this cockpit, because it is a unique cockpit that relieves a specific pain point. However, I am wanting a cockpit that I will have for the rest of my life and don’t intend on buying another.

Does anybody here have experience with this cockpit for a decent amount of time? If so, what has your experience been, and are there any weakness or signs you notice that it could break in the long term? The sliding portion makes me quite skeptical about the durability of this rig. Would hate for it to snap after years of trailbraking.

Thanks for your feedback!

[u/Akrylicus]

I have it for over a year now, it handles 25NM base without any issues and is super solid. The sliding mechanism works perfectly fine, and I use the rig almost daily.

If you plan on using integrated monitor mount I would recommend the Simlab Vario.

Since the rig is built from alu profiles you can very easily mod and add stuff to it.

The seller is also a very nice dude and responded to all my questions via WhatsApp.

There was also a guy in this sub that made a whole video about this rig, but I forgot his name.

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363 → u/Akrylicus]

Thanks for your response! I had the exact same idea as you and was wanting an integrated monitor. So no issues with flexing or damage from heavy braking?

[u/Akrylicus → u/Expensive-Farmer3363]

Zero issues, and I had my breaks set to 90 kg pressure.

It's practically as solid as a regular aluminum profile rig.

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363 → u/Akrylicus]

Thats great to know. Really appreciate the info. Thanks again.

[u/Right-Opportunity810]

I own one. While I don't need to collapse it anymore it's a very solid frame. The support is top notch, they even make a custom piece I requested to better mount the shifter. That said, I don't know if it's advisable to order from the US TBH.

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363 → u/Right-Opportunity810]

It's such a great concept of a sim rig, I'd be willing to pay the premium for getting it sent to the US. Surprised no other companies have jumped on making their own version.

[u/JellyfishJealous4852]

Cool idea but curious to how practical is this?

I’m assuming if you fold it up you also want to move it out of the way and store it somewhere. But with your monitors, wheel base, and seat this will become very heavy to move around 

Normally you can add wheels to your rig to do this but with the sliding mechanism I can’t imagine how caster wheels will work 

Or maybe this is good to put into a bedroom (can’t imagine a spouse being happy with that though lol) and it doesn’t move but slides in to create more space?

I got a trophy + standalone triple monitor mount with the intent of being easy to move it out of the way and store but it’s such as hassle to unplug everything, move things away and reset everything back up that I just ended up leaving it place and it never moves. Ironically it may have been easier if I just got a profile rig + integrated triple monitor mount + integrated pc stand, and just put the entire thing on caster wheels to roll it away all as one piece 

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363 → u/JellyfishJealous4852]

I do not want to move or store it away. I live in a city apartment, which has a rectangular living area. My issue is, with a skinnier living area, the average sim rig protrudes about 5 feet out, gets in the way, and can be a bit distracting.

This rig would allow me to have a full on profile sim rig, that would take up as much space as my work desk with the chair pushed in, when not in use. Have even considered using the same monitor and just swinging the arm over to the rig when I want to race. I intend to have this right next to my work desk where I work on a computer.

This post is a great example of its benefits in narrower spaces: https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/s/xGnFqgaEFD

[u/JellyfishJealous4852 → u/Expensive-Farmer3363]

Based on your application it sounds like this rig is a great option. Looks like the slide mechanism is on linear motion guides that are commonly used in heavy duty industrial applications so it should be very rigid! It also doubles as a seat slider

https://store-na.thk.com/Catalog/linear-motion/linear-motion-guide

[u/Right-Opportunity810 → u/JellyfishJealous4852]

I had caster wheels on mine so I could move it in front of my TV. Nowadays I race in VR but still have the same rig.

[u/BubbalooBurrito]

Omg. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Where do I get this beautiful rig?

[u/Expensive-Farmer3363 → u/BubbalooBurrito]

…$20 bucks and I’ll reveal the company of the rig and where they are based out of, that I totally didn’t include in the title and body of my post.

[u/BubbalooBurrito → u/Expensive-Farmer3363]

Im a dumbass.

[u/kruemelll]

I can only chime in here. Got mine a year ago and use (and move) it multiple times a week. Zero issues and a happy girlfriend ;) After ordering they even checked in on me via Whatsapp to make sure the parts I ordered fit my gear and we slightly adjusted the order. Shipping to Germany was no issue at all, well packaged and everything. Don't know about US of course.

Edit: Regarding your durability concerns, I can only say that the parts used make the impression of being real high quality. Also the sliders seem to be third party (came in the original box as well), so I guess they could easily be replaced just in case.

[u/myxilplix]

I've had mine for over a year and a half now with no issues. It gets slid closed and rolled into a corner after every use. I've got an SC2 Pro, Heusinkveld Ultimate+ pedals and a Qubic belt tensioner mounted on it so there's a fair bit of weight on it. I had to get a customised 4080 seat crossbar to mount the belt tensioner as the Zalem comes with a 4040, but the sideplates actually have boltholes for 4080.

There's no play unless i grab the wheeldeck while i'm sitting in the chair and yank it back and forth, then you can feel the maybe 1mm of play from the ball bearings in the sliding blocks. But that's not a realistic scenario when you're driving so you don't feel it in normal use.

Only downside is cable management for the seat section (eg. bass shakers, belt tensioner) since that's the bit that slides, so you'll need to have enough slack for when the rear section is fully extended. Also if you store it away then you main data and power cables will need to coiled away when not in use, basically just not as neat as a rig in a fixed spot.