So I was into the third set of Wheel yesterday, when I started getting stuck in the erg mode death spiral. No problem, this was anticipated (Wheel was a stretch workout for me), so I switched to resistance mode. Except, that was WORSE! I went from struggling to completely stopped within a revolution of the cranks. I thought I’d missed the key and looked, but nope the mode was ‘resistance’. Then i noticed the slider was at 33% (33% of what, by the way?) so slid it back down to 15%. This did nothing. I even went all the way to 0% with no change.
Toggling back and forth between erg and resistance did not help, and erg was much easier than resistance. And by ‘easier’ I mean ‘possible.’ In resistance mode I got down into the small ring and biggest cog and it was ridiculously difficult to turn the cranks at all. Like standing up and pulling on the bars as if climbing a 25% grade in the big ring.
I finished in erg but am wondering what the heck happened? I didn’t have anything else running that would have tried to grab control of the trainer (no Zwift, etc) and I’ve never had any issues before. I’m running an OG TACX Neo, which has been nothing but reliable since I got it.
I am really hoping this was a one-off incident. Has anyone else experienced this with TR, or any other trainer controlling application?
Sorry to hear about the trouble – hopefully it was indeed just a one-off issue!
It may be worth messing around with that Resistance Mode slider (more info on smart trainer modes here) a bit more during a warmup or cooldown (or even if you just have a spare ~10 minutes at home and are looking for something to do) so you can get it dialed in. The default resistance should be 50%, which does make it sound like odd behavior that going all the way to 0% did nothing.
If it’s been a while, try leaving your trainer unplugged for a bit (ideally, we recommend keeping it unplugged between workouts). This allows the trainer to “hard reset” and clear out any bad data that may be “stuck” inside of it.
I think it would also be worth checking to see if your Tacx needs a firmware update, which can also help solve problems like this.
I think that should be a good starting point for you – hopefully it helps! Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions.
If it is an Elite trainer it will even physically reset in the sense that they have a screw that moves a cart that moves a magnet. When you turn off/on the trainer it will move the cart to both extremes relubing the screw and cart rails!
Video explaining the cart is moving from highest to lowest resistance but turning it off and on will move it all the way right to pick up new lube
So it seems to be a one-off event, as the last two workouts I tested by switching back and forth a couple of times with no issues. I didn’t check the effects of the resistance mode slider, but It’s parked at 15% where it’s been since … ago. The slider is xx % of … What? I played with it a bit a long time ago and anything above about 25% became ridiculously difficult in a hurry. I’ll have to fiddle with it again and see how it behaves.
For the record, I unplug the trainer after every ride, and Garmin hasn’t issued a firmware update for that model in a looooong time. It’s the original Neo, and is pushing 10 years old. The only thing that’s failed (so far) was a bearing in the free hub body, about 5 years ago. I was curious at the time, so disassembled the drive mechanism, and it’s a work of minimalist art. The only thing that moves is the flywheel (and free hub). Everything else is stationary electronics and electromagnets. As long as the electronics hold out, it should last another 10 years.
