Kickr + short intervals

Hi,
I just started with TR and did my first session yesterday (Ebbets) with my 2019 Kickr and had some issues with those short intervals. It seemed like it started 1 second to early which was fine (after you get used to it) but after those 5 seconds as the resistance dropped I pedaled without any watts for a second or two.
Has someone similar issues and how can I fix this? Or did it happen because I am not used to train on a smart trainer and it will get better over time with more practice?
Thanks!!
Jan
TR

I have kickr Core and with Ebbets I was running small chainring and middle cog at the back. Try differrent gear combination with ERG to get Kickr work better with the short power spikes.

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If I remember it correctly I was also in the small chainring and the middle cog during the workout but I will try a different combination next time. Thanks !!!

You could also remove the ERG power smoothing from the Wahoo app.

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I had issues like this a lot more often when I was new to the trainer. I think that maintaining smoother pedaling helps some.

+1 to experimenting with your gearing.

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Hey Jan,

Thanks for reaching out about your issue!

It looks like your trainer is just having a little trouble mitigating the power during those large power jumps. Here are a couple easy steps you can take to try and improve this:

  • Use a lower gear. Ideally you want something that maintains a straight chain-line, but using the little ring in front, and a low to mid-range gear in the back should help your trainer apply/ change the resistance better.
  • Try slowing your cadence just slightly before the interval hits. That will help your trainer build up a little resistance before it has to make the big jump in power at the start of the interval.

Additionally, it is always a good idea to make sure your devices have up-to-date firmware, and are calibrated before your workouts!

I hope that helps!

If you have any further issues, just send us a support request to support@trainerroad.com, and we would be happy to take care of you. :smile:

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Yeah - I guess it needs a bit more practice on my part ! thanks for your reply!

Thanks for your support! I will try out some adjustments and I guess it will get better as soon as I get used to the trainer and the workouts!
Big fan of your software btw !
Jan

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The problem with these hard intervals on a trainer is that you’re kicking the flywheel up in speed and when you’re finished with the interval you want a slower cadence (much less force per RPM because of the lower power requirement) and the trainer is lowering the resistance so you’ll hit a second or two before the trainer and cadence is synced again, don’t overthink it, it doesn’t matter :slight_smile:

This is from my Collins + 1 (short 20 sec sprints), notice how it drops to zero right after the sprint:

Same thing when I did Spanish Needles (15 sec intervals):

Having it in a lower gear has worked better for me as well, but having the inertia of the spinning flywheel has it’s advantaged as well, so do some trials and see what you feel is best for you.

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thanks for the input ! will see how some adjustments will work…