The trainer was once only used when it was too dangerous to ride outdoors or when recovering from an injury. Winter was the only time when cyclists had the mental fortitude to ride in a fixed posture and wear down the treads of their tires.
Smart trainers are bringing many outdoor sessions inside. This is true for both cyclists and triathletes. Indoor training is a great way to ensure that workouts are completed exactly as instructed, especially now with ERG mode.
The KICKR smart trainer has two modes, level and ERG. In level mode, you control the resistance and can shift freely to achieve your desired wattage. ERG mode is completely different. In ERG mode the trainer automatically adjusts the resistance to reach the preset wattage goal during a workout. It’s similar to a treadmill. You can think of it as a treadmill. The belt will continue to move at the pace you set, whether or not you are fatigued. ERG mode works the same. The trainer adjusts the resistance based on the wattage you set, such as 200 watts. You need to stop your workout for whatever reason? ERG Easy Ramp allows you to return to the workout gradually, without having to make a massive effort.
The ERG mode gear selection and why it matters
Let’s first look at the design and construction of smart trainers in order to better understand the importance of gear selection. Smart trainers apply a certain resistance to the flywheel depending on the selected power target and speed. The smart trainer assumes the resistance is the variable that needs to be changed, and the flywheel speed will remain constant. It can be a problem if you want to adjust your cadence (increase or decrease) during an effort when the power target is increased. Your smart trainer must adjust the resistance on the flywheel for a few seconds because it is measuring the resistance based on the previous speed. The trainer will adjust resistance when you change the speed of the wheel. To make the shift more smooth, you should shift gears a few times to have the least impact on the flywheel speed.
Flywheel inertia can be used to simulate different riding surfaces. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your gear for ERG mode on a smart indoor trainer.
We suggest that if you are a sprinter or time trialist who puts most of their power out in an outdoor gear, you replicate your efforts indoors using ERG mode with a similar choice of gear when doing sprint and time trials.
The ERG mode lets riders simulate big gear work with low cadence. If you throw your chain in 53×11, you will get a lot of speed and not the same amount of inertial force as you would experience outdoors.
It can be the opposite if you are trying to do high cadence in ERG mode with a small gear. Flywheel inertia will be reduced, and it will feel like you are trying to spin the wheel up a hill rather than on flat ground.
It is important to consider how your trainer sets the resistance to achieve a target power based on the flywheel speed. From a resistance perspective, for example, going from 10 mph up to 15 mph represents a greater jump in speed compared to 25 to 30mph. You may have experienced “Spiral of Death” if you’ve ever used ERG mode. This is when you are in a low gear and the resistance increases as you increase the power.
Tips for training in ERG mode:
Try the following if you use ERG mode to workout:
Gearing should be kept in the middle cassette range.
When working at low RPM, you can use a smaller gear to achieve the high torque required.
High Cadence Work: Use the largest gear possible to increase the speed of the flywheel.
You can do your own test at home, simulating target efforts with a variety of RPMs. This will help you determine the gearing that “feels” most like riding outdoors.
Remember that your workout type and cadence target will determine the gearing you choose in ERG mode.
The ERG mode allows us to mentally relax for a while by not worrying about the pace of the workout. (The computer will do this for you. Use Level Mode and learn to pace yourself correctly for different efforts. ERG mode does not exist in a real race! Not even in a virtual race!
If you are too accustomed to the ERG mode, don’t forget about outdoor riding. Many riders have to learn the skill of selecting the correct gear for an effort.
