FYI Zwift works great on my V2 set to erg mode (and flawlessly in gear mode on free ride/race) in ERG mode the shorter intervals are even doable once you get the hang of it.
Have you tried Sufferfest? Feels like they actually tested it with their workouts. Works really well. Itās a shame the Sufferfest tone of voice is so gross, and their plans seem overly aggressive (at least for and older rider like meā¦)
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It struck me today that the 20 minute FTP test, which was the TR standard before the Ramp test came along starts off in erg mode but then switches to resistance mode when the 20 minute section starts.
Presumably that workout cannot be done now as originally designed using a Wattbike
I havenāt, no. Iāve generally stuck with TR, Zwift and TrainingPeaks. A pal of mine who got a Wattbike last year swears by Sufferfest, he really enjoys it. I could have sworn there was a trial code for Sufferfest with my Atom but Iāve only recently got my codes and there wasnāt one for it.
Yes there is a sufferfest trialā¦email wattbike and they will send you another one
Replying to myself. I raised a support call and TR stated the following re Wattbike and non erg mode.
āCurrently, we do only support Wattbike Atom in ERG mode. While we do have plans for the Atom to be supported in other modes, that integration has been backlogged in order for us to focus on high priority features that we have been working on.
Because of this, I currently cannot give any ETA on when this will be integrated.
In terms of the Wahoo Bike, we do support ERG mode and Standard mode so it should not be an issue toggling ERG mode.ā
I also asked about 20 minute FTP test and they stated the following
ā For the 20 minute FTP test, it will unfortunately still lock you into ERG Mode (which you might know is not recommended for the 20 minute/8 Minute test).
Because of this, we do recommend the Ramp Test on the Wattbike to get your FTP testing done :)ā
I think that causes me to cross the Wattbike from my options.
After receiving an email overnight it looks like there is some new updates to the software.
iOS updated the hub software to 3.11.0
āStableā firmware updated to v. 1.03.34
or BETA firmware users updated from 6.03.31 > 6.03.34
Having skimmed through the release notes there isnāt really anything mentioned about the ERG mode but it does look to have addressed some of the Bluetooth dropouts people had been reporting.
Iāll be training tonight so Iāll see if I can noticed any improvements 
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So after installing the new Firmware updates as post above my ERG mode on TR has improved markedly. Initially I thought it might have been a fluke but Iāve completed 2x workouts and both have been decent. These were both 2x steady state efforts on the trainer and the graphs afterwards were much better.
What I donāt know is whatās helped with the improvements though, could it be the Wattbike firmware update or could the newer versions of TR on my devices impact this too? Either way itās a thumbs up from me (so far).
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Excellent news, I hope others who have applied the firmware or TR update report back with positive news as well
Itās almost definitely the wattbike updates. Theyāve said in their Comms that this is something theyāre continually working on.
I donāt know if youāve been updating your wattbike at every update but for me the erg dramatically improved with the previous update which was about 4 weeks ago now.
This latest one seems to be as good for me.
Either way Iām happy and Iām happy theyāre doing regular updates to get the V2 to the standard we all expected when we bought it.
Iām glad I kept it!!
Long time WBv1 owner here. Iām really sold on the device now. It was not great to start with but itās leagues ahead of where it was. It was defintely rushed out before it was ready I feel, perhaps to get ahead of the Stages and Wahoos. The v1 is better (just) than the v2 for my kind of training, which is steady state. I ordered a v2 but then tried one and didnāt like the feel of it. It might have just been an adjustment thing but the v1 feels more stable now. Sure, itās rubbish at short hard intervals (although Iāve found that if you pause pedalling for half a second at the start of the interval you get a smoother, quicker ramp and you donāt overshoot) but I do those so infrequently. If you think about it the same was true of the original Wattbikes (you had to lean forward, push the lever, and twist the resistance knob).
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So Atom NG has arrived. Did a TR workout on Tueday -
- Iām sure the variablity in the trace is largely down to my poor technique - but frankly, who cares. The workout was fun I got what needed from it and so far Iām loving the Wattbike. Happy camper!
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Hopefully that was not in erg mode. There is a lot of volatility there.
That was in ERG mode - from the comments above the Wattbike in TR is ONLY supported in ERG mode. I did mention my technique wasnāt great didnāt I!!! This was about the 2nd ride Iād done on the bike so alot to learn about managing the cadence/power.
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In Erg mode the line should be much more consistent than that.
Steady ERG power graphing depends on the device in use, AND importantlyā¦ the cadence applied by the rider. Steady cadence from the rider tends to yield the best and most stable power via ERG mode regardless of the devices in use.
Per the graph above, the rider cadence looks too variable to me. It is to the point of making it more difficult for the system (TR and Atom) to hold the prescribed wattage. A constantly changing cadence leads to the system constantly trying to adjust resistance to solve the ERG equation. Itās like making the app and trainer hit a target (power target) while the dart board (cadence) is moving around constantly. Not ideal, and will lead to poor results.
My tired quote for ERG use is āCadence is Kingā. Meaning the rider should focus purely on that data, and do their best to maintain a smooth and steady cadence. That is true for all times other than when they are deliberately altering cadence to hit a faster or slower section of their workout.
Also, it is helpful to zoom in to the workouts and get a closer look at the intervals. Many times, that preview we see in pics above show things as more extreme than the reality. Here is my most recent attempt at the same workout, ERG mode, Wahoo Kick17 for power data (ERG mode smoothing OFF).
Zoomed out, full workout view. Looks a bit jagged and ābadā from this view.
Zoomed in, first interval view. Looks way different and far less jagged compared to the view above.
The āstepsā in the white cadence line above are from me shifting between the small and large chainrings, to mix in seated (small ring & cadence around 95rpm) and standing (large ring & cadence around 65rpm).
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Smoothe and Steady cadence is what I need to work on - I guess my point in posting was to highlight the Atom in ERG mode on TR may still have some issues, but there are many more issues with my efficiency and technique. Focussing on just one number is a great tip and actually something in another workout I did last night (rather than trying to look at both power and cadence). I am no good at out of the saddle sections in terms of being able to spin quickly - unless Iām grinding it out I get the dreaded āknockingā. I am a big TR fan and the ERG issues caused me to pause getting the Atom, but now I have done it I have no regrets.
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Hey all. I am new to TR and have an old V1 Kickr that really struggles with ERG. I was looking to invest in a new turbo in time for winter and am toying between buying a Wattbike V2 and a new Kickr. I understand there has been some updates on the Wattbike ERG and wanted to understand if overall Wattbike ERG experience is now improved for TR users?
Nope - until TR allows resistance mode with the WattBike Iād say itās not worth it. ERG mode is, mostly, fine but you lose so much flexibility from being restricted to only one mode. The Wattbike is, however, fantastic on platforms that donāt throttle it, like Sufferfest and Zwift.
I would say yes, it is. While the comment about it being restricted to erg mode is true there are ways around this. You can get a device (I use the 4iiii viiiva heart rate monitor) that also acts as an ant+ bridge which means it will take the ant+ signal and convert it to bluetooth. The advantage here is that because the ant+ converted signal is read only it means the gears/resistance on the atom now work independently and itās basically like turning off erg.
The other plus to this is that it means you can use two apps at once (as Bluetooth is restricted to one) so you can use trainer road while riding around on zwift or whatever other apps you like to use. I sometimes use the wattbike hub to work on my pedal stroke while still doing a trainer road workout
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