Erg mode slow to react - Tacx Neo, Ebbetts Workout

Thanks @GeorgeAnderson. I am guessing this is heavily smoothed data. I say this because the power data looks excessively smoothed, via some app setting, maybe on the Tacx app, like Wahoo’s option?

If so, it’s not a useful comparison here and looks too “perfect”. Here is a shot of one interval.

For comparison, here is one from my workout, Kickr17, ERG mode smoothing off, zoomed in to the first sprint of the 2nd set.

  1. The blue block is the normal power target we usually see.
  2. The green line the actual power target setting sent to the trainer.
  3. The yellow line is my power as reported from the Kickr.
  4. The white line is my cadence.
  • Note that the green line is an exact copy in power and duration of the blue block, but advanced on the timeline by 1 second.
  • This is done to get the actual power data (yellow) to match up to the target (blue) for workouts because all trainer have.some adjustment delay.
  • If a trainer takes a time to adjust up to a power target, it takes that same time to reset back. That is the reason TR effects time shifts the power target instructions (green) ahead of the target blocks (blue).

My method:

  • I did most of the workout in my 34t small ring and middle of an 11-26 cassette (stock with Kickr).
  • I did standing sprints in the 50t big ring, around 65-75 rpm cadence, effectively treating these like short breakaway sprints.
  • The power data (yellow) is bouncy and not pretty. It took me a bit to figure out the timing.
    But I went to the big ring about 5-10 seconds before the sprint.
  • I hit the pedals hard about 1-2 seconds before the timer hit the official start. And I powered through the interval until I felt the resistance drop.
  • I eased up and stood for 5-10 seconds after the sprint ended, then sat down and went track to normal cadence in the small ring.
  • If you look at the interval data for the sprints, I “missed” most of them and did not match the target.
  • If you look at the graph, you see lots of time around the sprint target, but its not perfectly aligned with the blue target. That alignment (or lack there of) is what created the data for the interval summary.
  • that’s important to remember, because.i sti got great power for most of the intervals, but they just aren’t matched and pretty to the second.
  • we are looking at a VERY short 5 second effort here. It’s not likely that any trainer can hit this perfect.
  • What matters is how we do in applying power for the right time and amount, even if it’s not pretty
  • I got all the intended stress and benefits of the power drill.

I’d like to see one of these with the Neo to see the zoomed in details.

2 Likes