Disadvantage of ERG mode?

Equipment
2
  • Or you could argue that you aren’t able to hit the middle points within a range and that is a problem in itself.
    • Ex: If you are given the restriction to ride at 90 rpm or 100 rpm, are you missing out on the chance ride at 95 rpm?
  • My point is that you are actual more restricted via Resistance vs more options in ERG. It is purely up to the rider to choose their cadence in ERG. As such, we can be as narrow or wide as we want.

  • It is a common misconception among those that have not used ERG, that it removes all thought and processing from the rider. That is far from the truth.

  • Yes, when riding on ERG, you can pay less attention to the power target specifically and that is different from Resistance mode to a point.

  • But, if you totally ignore your power effort (specifically via cadence, to be covered more later) you may find your cadence drifting too high or too low for the desired training.

    • The most common problem from cadence drift (whether due to lack of attention or fatigue) is a slower cadence that leads to increase in resistance… and that can cascade into the spiral of death an eventual clinch.

  • The point? Unless you are tooling around in Z2 rides, you need to pay attention to cadence in ERG with the same level of focus that people do for power targets by people using Resistance mode.

    • That focus on cadence and keeping it steady will result in more steady load applied to the rider, and less variation from the trainer and controlling app.

We covered this in great depth in the old thread and debunk a number of the myths and misconception around ERG mode.

These are also good resources that explain more about how ERG actually works:

Feel free to ask further questions if these answers don’t make sense.

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