Every time you say “Danielson”, I can only but picture Mr Miyagi…
7 Likes
I read on a blog that using ERG mode is limiting us as cyclists if I may quote “Basically by doing your intervals in ERG mode, you are thinking you are learning to hit home runs, but you are really just playing T-Ball.” I would love to get thoughts on this since most of us are stuck inside till the snow melts.
If you want to see the worms all over the floor after this particular can was opened last time, search for “Tom Danielson and erg mode”…
2 Likes
3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Big vs Small Chainring - Same Power
I may never have a smart trainer. So the “Giant” hydro trainer is what I have to use.
My coordination issue is right side dominance. And being 6’5" until a car wreck made me 6’3 1/2". What I deal with every TR workout is left side crank based power; when above FTP and fatigue set in although cadence a wheel speed remain the same, power can fluctuate a lot. It’s what I have too work with, and I will try improve the imbalance. I may never ever be normal. Not a special snow flake, but a slightly irregular one.
Hi team trainerroad, there has been a lot of noise made recently around the utilization of erg mode vs. resistance. My questions is the regards of the quality work being done as erg mode while holding you to a set resistance and not allowing you to sway from it, it also does not allow for you to be able to further learn and master the technique of actually making and holding the power thru different set of cadence and intervals which is how the foundation is build on and actually emulate what takes place in the field. II do believe utilizing this tool could eventually turn a rider unidirectional utilizing erg mode. I look forward to further feedback to back some of this evidence as I personally have switch back to resistance mode and seeing improvements on the quality of my work even on anaerobic and vo2 max workouts as well as being able to complete them without any interruptions due to drop outs or sudden resistance changes which I believe led to sooner fatigue levels and lack of the completion of quality work, once again thank you for all your insights
4yrs of TR, all ERG! I have no problems generating and holding the same power outdoors. If anything, I find it harder indoors due to RPE.
ERG mode is not generating the power for you. If you cannot generate the power, ERG mode will break you via the ERG spiral of death! As for power at different cadences, many of the workouts include cadence drills and/or variations. Learning to hold a steady cadence, regardless of the actual rpm, is also key to keeping ERG mode smooth.
Amongst my friends, the ones who have complained the most about ERG mode are the ones who are not smooth, cannot maintain a steady cadence. Thus, ERG mode is constantly adjusting resistance and all those micro adjustments are felt in the legs. There are also a few who have their FTP set to high and thus constantly fail workouts while blaming ERG mode, but that is a whole different matter.
Nothing wrong w/using resistance mode. If that works for you, keep at it!
8 Likes
Caveat: I have never ridden a trainer in ERG mode
If you haven’t stopped reading…
Observation/hypothesis: ERG mode is a detriment to your cycling; especially outdoor cycling.
Reason: we don’t have ERG mode when we ride our bike outside, it’s not natural to be held at a specific wattage regardless of cadence. It doesn’t train you to be able to fluctuate power (up or down) in a natural way.
Let me have it
10 Likes
Hahaha there was a whole thread about this:
1 Like
Do we need to rehash this, or just revisit the prior discussion?
2 Likes
Ehh… like so many things, the answer is “it depends”. I’m actually really good at the power floor-control thing Danielson describes. Give me a flat road and a somewhat consistent crossing headwind, and I’ll give you a flat power line that looks like it came right off TR.
What I need is a much improved physiology to drive it. ERG mode keeps me concentrated in the zones where I really need the work to build that physiology. Having excellent power control in real riding conditions isn’t doing me a damn bit of good, because I don’t have the engine to drive it anyway.
1 Like
By that argument, skiers should not do any gym work.
Guess what: elite ski racers spend more and more time in the gym, and less time on the snow.
Precisely one argument I mention in the past (maybe the thread above or elsewhere).
Gym work would be a waste, since it “is not the same as…” anything we do outside. And yet… it is potentially very rewarding in a number of aspects.
Evidence to support the Resistance mode > ERG mode claim?
I was of the opinion (and expressed it somewhere further up this thread) that Work Is Work, however you do it. You generate the power yourself.
However someone since then made the point that using erg mode can encourage overtraining, as in, all you have to do is keep pedalling until you can’t. It runs the risk of turning a session that should take you to 90% HR to 95% HR because you’re just closing your eyes and pushing through.
Whereas if you’re in manual mode and your body is telling you this interval is too hard, you’re more likely to naturally shift your intensity to where it’s beneficial but not damaging.
1 Like
No, that is not the same at all. A similar argument would be that if a skier only ever practiced on groomed trails and competed in back-country riding with variable snow conditions.
Just don’t use erg mode in your non-ramp FTP tests and you’ll be golden 
Nothing better than being able to be consistent and target exact zones while training imo. Don’t see how being able to hit targets exactly would be anything but beneficial
It’s not though. Like I said, when you’re riding a bike outside (not on a trainer) you have no ERG mode. Your power is controlled by force and/or cadence. You cannot lock into a power and shut your brain off. It’s not a simple as “work is work”.
I simply meant that whether you’re outside, in manual, or in erg mode, your body has to make the same amount of effort to push out 250 watts. Regardless of whether your brain is off or on.
That said, I’m not denying that there might be an advantage to pushing that power while your brain is switched on. There may be something in that.
I did 2x45min intervals up the big mountain on Zwift last night, meaning I constantly had to shift gear and cadence to stay in target power. I don’t know if that did me any more good than 2x45min on Trainer Road in erg mode would have done, but I’m pretty sure it passed the time faster.
1 Like