n=1 erg is the reason I have a smart trainer. Personally, I’ve found TR VO2 max work fine at the power levels, and using erg mode. I know I’m in the minority, but I actually prefer zwift erg mode to TR - not sure I can quantify why, but really don’t get the stuck in sand feeling others seem to!
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I’m not saying the aren’t. But you’ll virtually never see someone from TR say go by feel just hit the power. And you’ll almost ways see others say go by feel it’s not a power target.
The user was asking if the new AI changes this and there’s no evidence that it did. Hence I answered the those are still the two schools of thought and they can pick what works for them.
I’ve had a trainer that could not be used in resistance mode with TR and I have also had (have) a trainer that allows me to so I’ve done it both ways and personally I’m not an evangelist for either. But I do prefer if possible to do them in resistance just due to trainer response time, which is a third argument in the topic but as with the others not related to AI changes that they were asking about.
You will see people from TR saying to just use ERG mode, though. 
VO2 is really no different than another power zone in my opinion. So, to the original asker of that question, I’d say, yes, use ERG mode as we’re better than ever at picking the right workouts for each athlete. 
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Hmmm. I didn’t use ERG (was outside), and went about 50W above prescribed for each interval, and my predicted FTP two weeks out got a 2W bump. Mixed messaging, TR! 
For me the current AI backed system is better at picking workouts than ever before…. I personally have no reason not to use ERG mode for everything.
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I use it for most indoor sessions. It has pros and cons.
Pros: for targeted intervals, it helps keep you in the right band. But it’s not fool-proof. You can end up over if you try hard enough.
Cons: if during an interval you don’t maintain your cadence you’ll hit the spiral. Essentially the resistance increases to maintain the same power, you get bogged down.
For endurance work - you can zone out. Which is both bad and good. Good in that you can do something else. Bad in that you HAVE to do something else to not get bored rigid.
There are reported cons of people not being able to pace if all their training is in ERG mode. I find that by training outside that is mitigated.
The major area that erg mode fails: sprints and any rapidly changing intensity. The time to spin up the flywheel can be significant.
Personally i don’t like sprints on the turbo anyway, so that’s not a major issue for me!
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This seems to be mostly just debunked and not even really based in anything legit to begin with.
Even Kolie Moore podcast where he rips on erg mode (while admitting to have only used it once or twice himself…) says that one of the few times he actually urges clients to use ERG is to learn to pace.
I know you were not saying that this was something you necessarily believe.
I use ERG mode for all of my indoor sessions (on TR), primarily because I train early in the morning. I find using ERG allows me to get quality training in before I’m fully woken up. No motivation issues, just get on the bike and do the work!
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For TR to work perfectly you must use ERG mode, the AI assigns the watts for a reason, why would you ignore that? If TR says to do your vo2 max at 415w then you do it at 415w, going to something like 417 will add too much fatigue and dropping down t 410 would mean you are outside of the zone you need to be in and wont get any of the adaptations.
Are you stating this as fact?
It seems to ignore the reality that ERG does not equal “perfect power production”. Aside from the ridiculous ERG Mode Power Smoothing that defaults on Wahoo trainers… the real power produced by people in ERG mode is NOT flat line perfection. It is bumpy and jaggy and subject to the user input via cadence irregularity. That is not unlike what we see with people using Resistance or Standard modes with general consistency.
Sorry, but this post plays on long standing but incorrect myths of ERG that really need to be recognized as false and incomplete at best.
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It’s still 10x more consistent than anything I can do out of ERG mode.
The question is whether or not that level of precision actually has a positive impact on one’s training improvements.
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Yep, agree completely. But I don’t think there is any helping people like @JamesRoad
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ERG is best for steady-state intervals like Sweet Spot or Threshold where you just want to lock in the power. Switch it off for short, punchy sprints or high-intensity VO2 max work. It’s too slow to react when you need to jump from 150 to 500 watts instantly.
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Just to complicate things further, there’s also a debate with natural air cooling, momentum, hills and other factors that its easier to achieve power outs doors so 50w over is maybe actually placing you in the realms of being just slightly above target indoors 
I don’t really care what he takes from this, but I felt the need to call out rather questionable statements so others could at least consider a counterpoint.
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I also find it helpful for upper tempo, threshold, and slightly-over threshold (like a 20min effort).
Sometimes I’ll use it for VO2 workouts of the 4-5x4-5min style, but not always. Haven’t figured out which I prefer for that.
Fair to call it out - I figure it’s better for people to at least be aware of the various arguments (assuming they’re not outlandish!)
That is completely false. A drop from 417 to 410 is 1.7%. it’s within the margin of error for most turbos.
ERG mode is genuinely helpful, but it’s not essential. And the level of accuracy described makes little sense physiologically speaking.
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This for me too. I’m all about reducing the cognitive load, especially at stupid o’clock. I did a good period on hybrid rollers/ power meter and it was so much faff with gearing/ resistance combo’s on top of just hitting the power.
Personally, I don’t really understand why you’d spend the money on a smart turbo for your training, and then not use erg. There’s cheaper options!
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