Spinning to make power on the indoor trainer

Training
1

My normal cadence on the road is between 85-95, when just general riding or e-racing on my Kickr I am usually in the 90-100 range. I have just started the Rolling Road Race training program and with the higher power interval I am needing to be in the 110-120 range to maintain a steady power output. I am using ERG mode.
As this is not a cadence I would comfortably hold out on the road, I am wondering if I should be trying to find a way to make power at my “normal” cadence.

2

Are you sure you are in ERG mode? The resistance should adjust to your cadence, to make sure you stay on power.

You can also shift to another gear on the cassette to get more comfortable. But general recommendation is middle of the cassette and small or middle (if 3x) chainring.

3

Broadly speaking, you should be using cadences inside that are similar to what you use outside.

  • Exceptions can come when looking at particularly higher level power intervals (like VO2 max, Anaerobic & Sprint), where you often want to spin at higher than normal cadences. This can depend on your actual goals for those intervals, but it’s common to use 100rpm thru 120rpm for these types of efforts.

  • It can also depend on the duration where you might do a higher cadence for ones that are less than a minute, while using quick but not lightning fast cadence for 2-5 minute VO2 or higher efforts.

Outside of that, are you new to using ERG mode or experienced with it?

4

I always use ERG mode for workouts, and have been using it for several years. I am able to comfortably do sweet spot and threshold in my normal cadence, but VO2 and higher I have to use a high cadence to not spiral into a grind. My concern is that at these higher power levels on the road I would seldom be above 100 and just wonder how the higher cadence power output indoors will transfer to lower cadence power on the road.

5

It’s fine. But if you are overly concerned, just turn off erg mode.

6

Yup, as mentioned, set your goal and then consider swapping to another mode if ERG is not helping you in these efforts.

7

Is there any specific reason that you don’t want to train at those higher cadences? Just because you can’t or don’t comfortably hold that high cadence on the road doesn’t mean you won’t be able to after you train and develop it.

8

Don’t use ERG mode! I used it for a year and have now graduated to resistance mode. You learn so much more

9

Erg always feels weird to me and leads to the same feeling that you’re describing when I used it. Now I just use simulation mode on my Garmin and shift gears like normal.

12

I know there is something I’ve seen shared, from the app device section IIRC.

  • The main reason the small ring is mentioned is that most smart controlled trainers respond faster and more firmly when the flywheel is spinning a bit slower (small ring) than a bit faster (big ring). The resistance unit can “grab” and “adjust” faster if the flywheel isn’t ripping at a higher rate like happens with the big ring.

  • Outside of that, as long as the trainer can hit the power targets in ERG, people can choose gearing to more closely match feel outside. Some like the small ring for being more like MTB, gravel or climbing, while others like big ring for more flat and fast rolling riding feel. More than one way to use them so people can experiment and choose as needed.

  • The other reason some commonly prefer small ring is lower noise since the drivetrain is moving slower, which is more quiet.

  • My main comment on gearing is to match your testing process gearing with your the gearing you intend to use for most of your training. Using a similar flywheel inertia is worthwhile. On top of that, some trainers show some power data deviation at different flywheel speeds as well. So, “test like you train, train like you ride” is a good direction to apply when your equipment allows.

13

Thanks for the suggestions, I have recently changed from always using the big ring to using the small ring in ERG mode after seeing it was recommended. I will go back to the big ring and also try resistance mode for short intervals. I have recently replaced my Kickr V1 with a V5 and it has a slightly different “feel” that I probably still need to work through as well.