Is TR possibly reading your stages via ANT+?
@Darkgerbil, I think @DaveWh is correct. Gearing doesn’t effect power output in erg mode, but the inertia or kinetic energy from riding in a big gear will generally make pedalling seem easier because of the muscles being engaged vs what muscles are engaged and when they are engaged when pedalling in a small gear. But the power output itself is the same. This link and accompanying video explain it well.
KICKR Bike ERG Mode: Why Gear Selection Matters | Wahoo Fitness Blog
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@GlenJ I am with you on this. I have just bought a kickr core and it is strangly reading lower than my Vector 3 pedals by around 20-25W. i have done factory spindowns and standard calibrations.
Like you I expect an £800 trainer to give me consistent and reasonably accurate readings. This reads out so 106W is showing 86 and 233W is showing 203W. That is a big difference when it comes to a workout.
I note @Chad’s comments about the trainer market and problems across the board. I have just swapped from a direto which was just so slow to respond to changes it was unreal. The kickr feels much more realistic in ride and power changes in erg mode.
Some people suggest using your powermeter to powermatch and override the trainer. For goodness sake! I don’t think it is reasonable to spend £800 on a smart trainer with a power meter, and then have to use another £800 pair of pedals or cranks to make sure it is reading consistently.
(Like you I am using Ant+ with a PC. )
Phil,
I’m done with the Kickr. It’s currently for sale. I’ve gone back to my e-Motion rollers and Stages power meter, manually matching the TR workout profiles with gearing etc.
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It’s a shame Glen I have just done Disaster on my Kickr core and it was brilliant, even allowing me to hit decent levels on the 5 seconds 200% job.
I am pushing Wahoo to fix this. If you swap, I think the tough one is choosing something different.
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It’s because of the hundreds of threads like this one that I won’t even consider a smart trainer for Trainerroad. With my 4iiii power meter and simple Tacx magnetic trainer I only have to concentrate on the essentials, like food, sleep, motivation and what to watch on Netflix - and of course, pedal hard and meet the power targets! With the trainer in high resistance and small ring in front, it’s quiet as well.
Just don’t stop using Trainerroad because the smart trainer technology is not mature enough yet. Try to go simple before you give up. Even virtual power with the cheapest and simplest possible trainer and speed sensor can be good and consistent enough for trouble free training and progression.
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I love my Snap. Flywheel inertia is a great future for the real road ride feel. There is no power meter that ever matches another one, not sure why it is such an issue for many people… It is a great kit and works well, just need to get used to its drawbacks.
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MWith respect to seemingly random power drops or spikes, my Kickr 2015 ocassionslly amped up power or dropped it. Support suggested it was related to Bluetooth interfere. I ‘tested’ using ant+ Which did not have any issues. Also, the problem only seemed to occur when using my iPad. On my 2018 Kickr I have not had these problems.
I used my Kurt Kineric and TR for 3 years with good success. (I’m a moderate training geek and mtb rider). But for me, there is no comparison to using an ERG trainer for structured workouts. Don’t get me wrong here, I love how TR works with virtual power and especially the Kurt, but you can get away with a LOT of ‘cheating’ without ERG mode. And it’s GREAT for people starting out because it’s forgiving. But training in ERG mode is a level up. When you do a 105% x 15 minute interval, it is a full 15 minutes. You can’t drop power. Ever. Or you get crushed.
Psychologically it is an adjustment, and physically it maximizes the interval work I do. I think it’s a natural progression. I highly recommend ERG training. (I’m a bit of a Wahoo fan but I think there is a great selection of trainers out there now)
But I do understand how the matching of power and metrics is a huge burden to serious training.
I highly recommend the DC Rainmaker site for detailed reviews and analysis on equipment issues. I’m sure if you ask him what a good fix is, you’ll get some valuable feedback.
M.
My thoughts entirely. The only issue I’ve had with my Snap is dropouts that were completely resolved when I went to Ant+ only, I just switch off Bluetooth and connect all devices to Ant+
The Snap is a lovely bit of kit, super-quiet and reliable with great response to big-wattage intervals, even short bursts (see my other thread on its lack of time lag).
I don’t have a power meter so matching is irrelevant to me but DC Rainmaker assessed it and said it tracked very closely to his PMs.
Wheel off trainers are not the Holy Grail IMHO.