Yes i switch off ERG mode and use Resistance Mode along with Powermatch on my Wahoo Kickr. I find it is the most accurate and consistent way of riding with power plus if nothing else it forces me to monitor my pedal stroke closer when on the trainer as you don’t have the benefit of ERG mode on the road !
1 Like
I have Eagle on the trainer and on the trails and I don’t get any “grinding “ with 4,000+ miles on the Eagle this year. Something sounds off there, that’s not right. Also I have no chain crossover issues either.
Possibly your chain is too short or your gears aren’t indexed properly.
Yeah, agreed. I use Eagle on my Kickr as well and have never had this issue.
It’s made worse on my new bike with Eagle as the little cog grinds when I get into the high power stuff.
Chain crossover is way worse on the trainer. At least it sounds worse than when I use that gear in anger out on the trails.
Are you saying that you have issues with cross-chaining an Eagle drivetrain? How is that possible? Eagle is a single-ring drivetrain (1x12) and is not compatible with multiple chainrings…?
Hi Joeyfrench.
Chain crossover may not be the correct term. My chain is not silky smooth in the smallest cog on the cassette. The angle of the chain means it drags ever so slightly on the next cog on it’s way back to the crank. I can tell when the chain link goes past. There’s no adjustment to be made as the bike frame dictates chain line. (Scott Spark RC version with Eagle drivetrain).
1 Like
Thanks Mi-xc.
I checked over the set up to see what the problem was. The chain rubs the next cog as it goes back towards the crank. I think I don’t notice it on the trails and need to ignore it indoors.
Thanks for the advice.
Hi,
I’ve got a KICKR 18 and run a Quarq D-Zero powermeter and use Powermatch when doing workouts. I’m new to ERG mode and notice at times during my steadier state intervals that I have to shift into easier gears to keep my cadence up. I’m not tired when this happens and find that if I don’t my cadence starts to drop.
Does anyone else experience this with Erg mode?
There is a difference and @Bryce explained it recently.
Standard allows a bigger range of gears I think. It is the mode that should be used when not in erg mode
You can run out of gears in resistance mode. I will try and find a link to his explanation later.
I’m happy to chime in here 
This graph shows watts on the y axis and speed on the x axis. As your speed increases on a fluid trainer (Standard Mode), your resistance increases exponentially. This mode more closely replicates the exponentially increasing resistance you experience outdoors, and some say this has a more “realistic road feel”.
For the Magnetic trainer (resistance mode), the resistance increases linearly.
The major advantage of the Fluid Power Curve (Standard Mode) is that one setting can cover a wider range of wattages. Since the curve ramps up, the maximum power you can generate in a giving setting is greater than the Magnetic curve (Resistance Mode), which can be seen in the graph.
I hope this helps!
3 Likes
This! For those not on Direct Drive trainers the speed of the motor that adjusts the resistance is sometimes can vary dramatically. For instance I use what might be the cheapest Elite smart trainer (Qubo Digital Smart B+). I’ve trained successfully on it for the past year. However the adjustment time is so slow that when I hit very suddenly resistance changes in ERG mode the trainer will only arrive at the required resistance five seconds after say a 20 second interval is in fact finished. This is quite normal behavior and the workaround is to simply switch off ERG mode in those rarer (for me at least) situations. I’m mostly a time trial specialist so this behavior doesn’t bother me too much. I could see it being annoying if I was a sprint specialist though and perhaps I’ll switch to a direct drive trainer when funds allow… which is probably never because most investments go into making my bikes faster on the road!
2 Likes
It helps a lot. A picture is worth a 1000 words as Telly Savalas said.
1 Like
Hi Bryce what would you recommend the resistance be set on a direct drive trainer while off erg mode be ?
If you are in Resistance Mode, between 20 and 40 is a good starting point for most people. The only way to truly dial in your optimal resistance though, is to test it out for yourself
1 Like
Thank you very much Bryce, I have been utilizing 40 however I was not sure wheather or not this is a good number. I have been hearing a lot of noise about not utilizing erg mode , what are your thoughts?
I’m doing gendarme tonight and wanted to see whether I was gonna turn erg mode off or not. I guess it’s going off!
I’ve done two workout recently with short intervals (15 sec) Spanish Needles -3 and Junction -1 both were done in a high gear and both were as close to target as it gets (Spanish Needles a bit off, but within reason), I’d have trouble hitting it that close without ERG.
This was done on a 2018 Kickr with powermatch.
I have Sairs H3 I love it for the 20 pound flywheel but I still find myself turning off erg and making my own effort in most workouts. Erg just feels unnatural to me like I’m fighting against something causing me back and knee pain. I know people love erg all the time, may not notice to difference in feel but I do. If I do vo2 workout in erg I just can’t do it for whatever reason but if it my own effort not in erg i’m dancing on the pedals hitting my numbers and tss. Plus in erg more on Saris you don’t get to feel how smooth that 20 pound flywheel is, it feels really nice also another reason why I don’t erg mode.
1 Like
I find ERG mode better for short intervals because I don’t need to worry about the gears. I use resistance for long intervals (and sometimes switch when I’m snowed under 
).
I find resistance mode mentally taxing - keeping the power on point, keeping the rpms on point and in short intervals (1min and less) there’s no time to tinker with these variables.
Initially I used ERG mode the whole time but at some point I noticed it made me focus on the push and not the pull. I think resistance mode allows for more fluid and natural riding.