It’s hard to press a button to reduce intensity when you’re tongue is hanging out and dripping with sweat!
Then HTFU and don’t lower the percentage, it’s only 20 seconds 
My thinking is after the first couple attempts at tabatas you’re going to have a very good idea of what you’re capable of…and the adjustments will be pretty minor and can be done between sets or you can use not adjusting the workout as motivation for improvement. Ex. “last time I needed to drop it 5% after the 4th rep in order to complete… This time I’m going to hang on until the 6th rep”
In my experience doing running tabata intervals, my distance covered was always very similar for 20 seconds, even on the 8th rep. But my HR and RPE would go through the roof. I imagine power output on the bike would be similar.
Why use erg mode?
Lettuce all discuss the metaphysics of erg mode.
Well it would solve the problem 
Agree that ERG mode isn’t for everyone - it can get to be an aggressively partisan subject -
I might have said it "why not try ERG mode and see how you get on…
If you set the intervals to a level just below you want it you are still able to put out more power than ERG mode sets if you spin fast - especially for only 20 seconds.
Lettuce make it like a book club, read these and discuss:
https://www.rgtcycling.com/blog/to-erg-or-not-to-erg/
and
I’m on the side of making indoor training more like training outside, so for Tabatas that definitely means resistance mode (not erg).
Those discuss the physics of erg mode, not the metaphysics.
I mean, what is erg? Does it really exist or is it just “gre” spelled backwards?
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Why ask why? metametaphysics
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