Thanks for the reply @mcneese.chad. Much appreciated. So, technically speaking, just stick to the chain ring that you will use out on the road? This Summer I am planning on doing more work in the big chain ring rather than the small chain ring, so perhaps it would be better to stick to the bigger chain ring? What are your thoughts on the lag time of the big chain ring for workouts that have short, sharp punches above FTP for only like 15s and with 15s rest. Would it be better to switch to the small ring for those workouts so that when in ERG mode, you get a closer tracking to the power number for the rep and set?
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- I think it makes a decent place to start.
- But I suggest people play around with gearing. Some trainers with different flywheel sizes may do a better job in one gear vs another.
- As above, start there but give a loser flywheel speed a chance too and see what you think of both.
- This can vary with specific trainers, but slower flywheel speed will usually allow the trainer to react faster.
- The other main option people use is to swap to Resistance mode, for control by cadence and/or shifting for those sharp efforts.
- Power data may also be closer. But itās less about the actual power than the effort behind them, so donāt sweat the variances too much for those ones.
Thanks @mcneese.chad ā¦ youāve just opened up a new door for me! Completely forgot about ERG and resistance mode! I was so laser focused on ERG that I forgot about resistance.
So, perhaps, if Iām doing mainly big ring over Summer. Most workouts should be in big ring as that is where my FTP test on TR is. For the SS workouts use ERG mode. For the 3m VO2 Max efforts use either resistance or ERG mode. But for the short sharp 15s sprint efforts at high watts, look at doing resistance mode in those workouts but still on the big chain ring.
Then, to add a bit of spice in my life, maybe do one workout in the week on the small ring for a bit of fun and variance.
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That sounds like a fine plan to me.
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Found this article which was really helpful:
My next questions is should the resistance be on 100%? Or less than 100%? Whatās the reason for going lower than 100% resistance - does it make the workout harder or easier?
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Resistance is based on a percentage of the trainers max Resistance. So, if you have a trainer with a max Resistance of 1000w, 50% setting wold be about 500w (this is dependent on the actual wheel speed, so its approximate only).
Most people find that 20-40% Resistance setting is about right. But you can adjust that percentage to hit the gearing and cadence range you prefer, so be willing to tweak along the way.
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Thanks @mcneese.chad. Great answers. Appreciate it.
Another thing Iāll have to tweak tomorrow! Might start off with 50% resistance and see how that feels with the short sharp intervals.
So many variables going on here. Here I am thinking just strap my ass to the trainer and go for gold ā¦ I basically need a Masters degree in Indoor Trainers to run it, haha.
So after all of that. The summary and the proposed plan in my original post. Iām now onboard with:
Mostly big ring in ERG mode. Then Iāll use the Resistance mode (50%) for the 5-20s sprint sessions in the program. Iāll look at doing 1 x small ring ERG session a week to mix it up.
Holy moly. What a journey.
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Same here, did all winter big ring, compare to a friend i crush it on the flats. Can go for hours my First Century ride on the flats was around 29.8km/h. that is as a rater new rider first season.
The difference on hills was huge, just totally different feeling like i pedal thru mud kinda. I know it is the fly wheel speed. This year i do half/ half. Long endurance rides front small rear big ring. Need to get used to it more. Anyway it got a lot better already riding outside
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Neo 2T user here.
I did about 8 weeks in small ring (28T) and just did a sweet spot workout today for the first time in the big ring (42T) and things felt sooo much better in the big ring. It felt easier, more realistic and smoother.
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Thatās why I work out 100% of the time in the small ring, I want it to feel harder, must mean Iām getting stronger 
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I did most of my training in the small ring last winter and I was fast on both flats and hills this year.
Reading all this, I wonder if just a pair of rollers (with some resistance possibilities) combined with a power meter wouldnāt be better off?
Plus the added adaptation in stability one might get.
Better off, in what way?
Stability on rollers is a thing, but its an open question as to whether that really transfers to the road. It DOES require more attention and control via more body muscle engagement compared to rigid trainers. But many people (me inuded) note that rollers have not altered our outside riding, while other say the opposite.
I like the hybrid of a rocker plate trainer that uses more body control to balance the rocker, but it doesnāt require the same level of attention as rollers. It also adds comfort over a rigid setup.
But all that strays from this topic and should be discussed in my main Rocker thread if you have more questions.
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Hey guys, somebody just asked on the Podcasts if in erg mode they should be in the big or small chain ring, i.e. big or small gearring. Nate said he used a bigger gear.
I always thought it was better to be in the small gear so the trainer would be quiet and it would feel more like climbing? What do you all do?
I can say if youāre on the biggest cog and small chainring you might hit the ceiling of the trainer when the power target is high.
I go with big gear on the basis that Iāve never had a problem putting out watts on a climb so would rather simulate a fast flat or downhill road where it can be harder to maintain high watts as thereās less to push against. And noise isnāt really an issue with my trainer setup
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This is also confusing me now. For the last month i have been in the little ring up front and the middle (6th cog from right) on rear. I thought the Smart Trainer did the rest and that gear position was for keeping the chain strait and quiet. But here Iām reading some people use the big gear ring some use small and for different reasons. Wish the TrainerRoad website actually stated what they recommend. I feel like I am possibly not getting out of the program what i should be if no one can even come to the same conclusion as to what gear you should be in.
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To be clear you will be pushing the same power (the trainer does adjust)
It comes down to
Big ring = more momentum due to the speed
Small ring = less momentum due to lower speed
Some people equate it to riding fast on the flat (more momentum) or riding slow uphill (less momentum)
In reality it probably make no differance to the workout
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- Sadly, the support site doc is severely lacking in details and uses the old āgearing doesnāt matterā cliche, that is not correct.
Simply find a gear that keeps the noise down, leaves your chain pretty straight (no sense increasing wear on your drivetrain with a crossed chain) and forget about shifting, even when you move in & out of the saddle.
However, the actual TR app does have a bit better info and specific recommendation to be in the small front chainring:
- We are most likely talking about the āMarginal Gainsā end of things when we look at ERG gearing.
- I have been meaning to write a more comprehensive post about the options and potential impact. So much depends on variables like the rider history and ability, trainer ability (and limitations) and other interests like sound, drivetrain wear and others. This falls well into the āit dependsā¦ā world so there are no concrete answers without looking at a wide view.
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I tend to question this statement.
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I donāt know what if any difference there is in actual training impact (which is a very real question that we have asked long ago in this thread, hoping that some scientist will take up this question), but I can tell a real difference in the max/min situations on how I feel with respect to muscle loading and eventual fatigue in some intervals (typically 5 mins plus).
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I suggest that people try similar intervals in max vs min gearing and see for themselves. Right, wrong, good, badā¦ I make no claims. But I do think there is a difference that can be felt by some riders and trainer combos. Best to test and see what you think than guess or assume.