Resistance is a 1-100 setting range. I’d suggest trying between 20-40 and evaluate your gearing for high and low power levels.
Much like my recommendation for ERG, Resistance and Standard mode settings can be tweaked to use gearing close to what you use outside. Mix as needed to get the feel you want or expect to use.
Does the erg not have a similar lag the other end too though? Those short repeats were one I always struggled to get gearing right when on a non-smart trainer/ hybrid rollers!
I now prefer to do my intervals on resistance in TR or Zwift I feel I pay more attention to my RPE and how it feels. And especially everything above FTP just works better on resistance. But sometimes I just want to pedal and watch YouTube or TV and put it in ERG mode for Z2 tempo or sweet spot.
Indeed. Lag to kick up tends to match on the lower side as well, so the actual loading on the rider is pretty much at the target time. The one issue is that the interval summaries in the TR workout will show missed power since it is locked to the actual blue blocks, while the real power is effectively “time shifted” some seconds later.
All in all, there are many trainers that can work just fine in ERG for these short/shorts. Here is a snippet from my latest 15/15 workout on Tuesday. Worked fine in conjunction with decent cadence control:
Yup, I found that going to an ERG trainer and having early access to adaptative training at the same time made it so that I was much more likely to finish workouts honestly and without issue. Being able to just close my eyes or stare at the tv removing the need to concentrate on power targets made my workouts much more beneficial. I realize this isn’t for everyone but I love it.
The fact that my trainer won’t work with TR in resistance mode also kind of forces me to use it, which sucks for certain types of works outs but you just need to learn how to do it right with those.
Honestly, do what allows you like and what allows you to hit your workouts. As noted above, some workouts (think short shorts) are not conducive to ERG mode. A 20 minute effort-some people like it on ERG, some people like it on resistance mode.
Personally, I find that if I am doing intervals, I prefer resistance mode because it forces me to make the power like out on the road. When I am doing a long endurance workout, I tend to use ERG mode because I just want to watch a movie or show and not worry about the power. I think ERG mode is helpful on some longer endurance rides especially in the beginning, because it prevents me from starting too hard. On the flip side, it can also be detrimental if you are unwilling to turn down the intensity if you are getting a lot of fatigue.
Like most things in cycling, the ERG vs. resistance debate, is overblown. Both have their merits and for most workouts (except short shorts where there is actually a limitation with ERG), either one works. Figure out which one you prefer and that you enjoy, and go with it. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment. Maybe try one interval on ERG, one on resistance and see which one you prefer.
No. My KICKR appears to stay absolutely constant with very minor variation — but I use Zwift.
Nothing like ERG when you want to tune out at watch the 
and 
dominate in Val Di Sole. Helps when it’s doesn’t stop raining and when it does momentarily it’s 94% humidity outside.
I’m going to guess you have left the default option of Power Smoothing in ERG mode on. Fine if you like it, but know that it shows a very unrealistically smooth power ling in the graph.
Ah yes. That makes a lot of sense.
To the original topic: I mix ERG on/off about 50:50 over a week (at least when I’m more seriously training). I find ERG mode off super taxing when I’m still half asleep at 5am, so ERG is a life saver to keep the overall workouts in—even if they might be slight less effective.
