My wife and I both recently signed on to TrainerRoad and so far we enjoy it!
My question is kind of equipment related and I will try and supply as much info as I can.
Bike - 12 speed mountain bike
Trainer - Wahoo Kickrcore (new and calibrated)
The issue:
when doing the intervals whether hard or easier the resistance allows us to pedal really quick like so quick your feet kinda go crazy. So we hold back to keep a consistent cadence.
the second issue is when you go from the higher power to the lower power in the interval your pedalling is going so quick you have to stop pedalling to let the wahoo adjust to the lower cadence.
Just looking for advice on these issues and how I can solve the problem. Part of me thinks it’s more gears but shouldn’t erg mode kick in and provide more resistance in the pedaling?
Are you seeing your watts displayed in the TR app? I’m asking to make sure your Kickr is actually communicating with the app. If you are seeing your watts displayed, are you in ERG mode?
I suggest watching this video to make sure you know what ERG does and does not do.
Yes, as I like to say for ERG, “Cadence is king”. And most important you are directly responsible for pedaling at whatever cadence you want. It may feel easier or harder at times, but you are always in control.
Essentially, you have to be patient to let the trainer and app come to terms with the fast flywheel / low resistance upon the completion of each interval.
One piece of advice for ERG mode - especially for workouts with frequent and/or sharp wattage changes - would be to ride in a somewhat low (easy) gear. This keeps the flywheel speed lower on the trainer and allows the trainer to modulate resistance more quickly.
The inverse of this can be true as well - if you ride in a high (hard) gear, the feeling of resistance changes is slowed down somewhat. Some people perceive this as ‘better road feel’ meaning there is more inertia/coasting feel that you get riding outdoors. This may be better suited to sustained efforts with gradual wattage changes.
That is a widely discussed topic - ERG vs standard/slope/resistance (modulating effort through gear selection). In my opinion there isn’t a ‘best’. The right answer is whichever suits you and keeps you completing workouts.
Personally, I do the vast majority of workouts in ERG mode, with the exception of short, all-out sprint type efforts.
Yes, no, maybe. Depends on who you ask and what matters to them.
Simply put, you need to try all the modes and pick what you like “best”. Some people mix it up and use different modes for different session types. And you can even swap in the middle of a workout as desired.
The one area where ERG mode struggles is when changing power levels in short succession (e.g. VO2 intervals, etc.). If you can deal with all that, ERG mode is such a cadillac feature to have.
I had an issue which sounds similar to what you are experiencing. It was most noticeable on very low recovery wattages in ERG mode. I spoke to the support team and they figured my trainer was hitting a wattage floor that made me feel like I was outspinning the trainer/resistance.
The solution that has worked consistently is to calibrate the trainer before every ride using the hardest gear (smallest cog). Once calibrated, I use the second easiest gear for the workout.
Some people love it, I could never find it comfortable.
It’s like the opposite of riding outside. You are pedaling at a certain force, you pedal a bit harder, the rpm goes up, then the resistance drops to compensate, then I’m just pedaling faster and faster.
I much prefer just a standard mode where I shift my bike and adjust cadence to find the right power.
I have a real tight 12-25 cassette on there so I have pretty fine power control.
I prefer riding without ERG on, except when I’m starting up after the off season, or a change in effort level/duration. This is to make it easier to “learn” how it should feel.
I might do the first interval on ERG, then switch if off for the remaining intervals. I might also switch it on during the off intervals between sets, to make sure I’m recovering and not riding harder than it should be.
