I did some searching, but the only threads were a few years old. I’m using a Tacx Neo 2T and TrainerRoad on an iPad. I have pretty standard gearing with a 52/36t chainrings and 11-28 cassette.
Today I had Striped +3 on the agenda which has 20 seconds at 180% FTP and then 2 minute breaks at 40% FTP. In my case this equates to 481w to 107w. Because of the big jumps with short durations, I wanted to give resistance mode a try.
It wasn’t really workable to choose a resistance that would allow me to handle the peaks and the valleys. I’d be in my easiest gear grinding at like 50rpm and still overshooting the wattage during the rest, and then spinning out in my big ring and smallest cog for the 180% efforts.
Moving the resistance slider mid workout isn’t workable. It’s out of reach in my setup, tough to do accurately, and blocks the part of the screen while doing it. Not to mention the workouts where I want to do it most will have TONS of intervals.
A few years ago I used to use a wheel on fluid trainer. Workouts like this usually just meant a shift of the front chainring, and sometimes a rear cog or two in either direction. I wish I could have the same “sloped” resistance with the smart trainer, which makes the shifts reasonable and more closely matches the resistance you’d get on the road.
Is there any way to get the same “slope” effect with the Neo 2t? Otherwise I will stick with ERG mode, even for short efforts.
A less good option would be to have some resistance presets that are easy to press while riding.
I ran into the same problem the other week, and even ended up with the neo stuck in resistance mode until I unplugged it and plugged it back in. For workouts I don’t plan on using ERG, I just use Zwift as my trainer controller and ride Tempus Fugit or whatever route I’m in the mood for and have no issues.
I unplug between rides. It’s not so much a device problem as it is a resistance choice option.
I can get below 100w no problem if I dial the resistance down. The problem is that with that resistance setting, I’m spun out trying to hit high wattages.
The resistance between gears is linear, so each gear might bring 10 or 15w of resistance. With a fluid trainer’s power curve, the jumps aren’t linear. As the flywheel spins faster the resistance gets exponentially greater.
From what I read, wahoo trainers have a slope mode which does this well. I don’t know if TrainerRoad + Tacx do.
Its the same situation with Kickr trainers - my V1 had “Level mode” which simulates a fluid trainer, and is good for sprint training, and my V5 does not, apparently because it uses the newer ANT+ and BT protocols.
It’s really frustrating. It makes TR useless for sprint workouts, so I do them in Zwift, even though I don’t really want to.
I think this would be a relatively easy thing for TR to add. Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ FEC both support a “simulation” mode (used by Zwift etc). TR could use this to add a “slope” mode, where you just set a gradient (say from 0 to 15%). TR would send the gradient, and some generic CRR/CDA data to the trainer, and resistance would increase exponentially with speed.
In fact, this is how Golden Cheetah does its trainer control already. The new mode should work for any FEC/FTMS device. It could use generic CDA & CRR data, or it could even estimate a custom one based on the weight in your profile (hmm, maybe need height too for that to be worthwhile).
Any new post can be set with the “feature-request” tag when the OP creates it. I went ahead and edited the OP at the top to include this, as well as key words in the title that are also associated with this mode.
I will also tag @IvyAudrain & @SarahLaverty so this is more likely to be seen by TR reps. It may well already be on their “to do list”, but I have not searched extensively to find a related post at this time. I know this has been discussed before but don’t know if it ever reached the specific “feature request” level.
Unfortunately, TR seems to always take control of any smart trainer once it’s paired in the app. AFAIK, TR does not offer a “power data only” option like we see in the Zwift app.
That means it’s not possible to use the hack you mentioned unless the rider also has a lower meter. They need to pair that device (but not the trainer) in the TR app in order to have any way to record a ride without also trying to control it.
I’m lazy and trying to use two devices to connect multiple apps on a regular basis wil probably be a pain.
Maybe this feature request will make it in. Anything that minimizes the time it takes to get on the trainer and get set up will literally make me faster.
Hey @conorthinks! If your setup is too far away to change the resistance for different intervals, I think this is the best workaround. When you switch back to Resistance mode after being in Erg mode, your resistance will be set to the same level as it was before you switched to Erg mode so you won’t have to fiddle with it.
Yeah, modern connection protocols do not allow us to automatically enable slope mode.
I will pass this on to the team for their consideration .
There isn’t an automated way to do this, right? Otherwise I’m reaching and tapping every 20-30 seconds in some workouts.
It’s a first world problem and I’m definitely being a squeaky wheel. I can deal with the current situation by just keeping it in ERG mode all the time and living with it.
I have a powermeter and smart trainer so I’ll also try Zwift or the Tacx for a slope type resistance but I’m not sure running two apps will be smooth. I am dreaming of TR allowing me to be lazy everywhere but the pedals.
Slope/level mode used to be there, and now its not (at least for Kickr users)
Auto switching trainer mode during a workout has existed pretty much since TR started, (the 2x20 minute test workout still does this as far as I know, and has done it since 2012!)
I asked about making mode switching available in workout creator in 2015 and was told it was on the list
It sure seems like TR could create alternate versions of “on-off” workouts which automatically switch trainer mode without any new code… (ie use whatever the 2x20 test workout uses).
If they allowed us to switch modes in custom workouts , we could do it ourselves.
Adding back slope/level mode would be the icing on the cake.
I realize software enhancements often turn out to be more work than they first appear, but all of these things seem so small compared to the behemoth that is AT. Surely somebody is still working on the UX of the workout player itself…
Could be firmware and trainer version, but I have Standard (aka Slope/Level) mode for my Kickr V6 on Win10 PC using the new WiFi connection. I found it by accident when playing with modes the other day. This seems parallel to the typical BLE connection that offers Standard when last I checked on my Android phone via BLE.
I suspect there may still be some Kickr trainer & FW combos that lack STD, but some do offer it as of now. I also know I had it for my Hammer & H2 at some point, but have not used those in ages to know the current state.
As you mentioned, we have to weigh up how we dedicate our time and resources with the broader impact on our athletes. I will be sure to pass your suggestion along to the team though!
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