I have been training here for a bit more than a year, love the product. I train on an Elite Drivo which I like too, but I did notice one thing I am wondering if anyone else has, in case you have a fix or a better work around than I do.
There are two different issues, both happening in ERG mode. The first is I will sometimes get a few seconds dropout in power where there is no resistance. I’ve seen people talk about the connection with iPad (bluetooth), but it seems fine since there is still some power reading working at that time?
The second is a bit more annoying. The trainer will sometimes get stuck in a higher power than it should. It isn’t a display issue, the trainer is 100% forcing me to produce those wattages. Here is what it looks like with Goddard:
Here the interval was 30s at 306W but the trainer gave me more than 400W for each interval.
Random thoughts on this issue:
It does not happen every workout. May happen only once, may happen multiple times.
Generally happens when the power difference is much higher (eg. going from 125W to 300W).
Changes in cadence at the time the power changes may increase chances of this happening.
Pausing regularly, especially before the power change in the rest period, seems to help avoid this.
There are two ways to get rid of it: completely stop pedalling (then the trainer does a “reset cycle” in a few seconds), or power through it. I’ve powered through it a few times and it seems to reset after 30-40 seconds, at which point it goes to the right power output. I generally have to stop pedalling to do the reset cycle, as powering through just isn’t going to allow me to finish the interval (unless it’s short like in example)
Has anyone seen this behaviour? Do you have a way to fix it, or work around it better?
Drivo here too. Never had these issues listed above. My configuration is a little different, but it works consistently:
Drivo on Bluetooth to TrainerRoad (MAC OS)
Garmin Cadence sensor on bike (cadence sensor ANT+ paired to TrainerRoad. I think the Driven cadence sensor is rubbish)
Quarq on bike (ANT+ paired to TrainerRoad)
Powermatch with 3-second smoothing.
I’ve ridden 14 months on this configuration and not had any issues. I haven’t done any firmware updates on the Drivo – in fact, I don’t know if its even possible to do so.
I had drivo I, now drivo II. Both need calibration first. Best after each 2 weeks I found.
Secondly both trainers need a lot of work to configure them - of course it you want to work them perfectly.
Contact with elite support and tell about issues. They probably offer you help via Teamviewer(did for me).
After that if problems don’t stop, concact with elite and they should give you indyviudal workouts to make and send them in specyfic file.
Finally if non of that helps, they shoud send you program where you can manually confugure your trainer.
I ve already done it by my self, tried different values of calibration, becouse elite support sucks and they doesn’t know hot support should work. And they are pathetic with no upgrades from many years. So keep it to your self but make pressure on them
I’ve nothing to suggest other than to give you kudos for holding the power at nearly 120W over the intervals which are already at 120% FTP Chapeau!
FWIW I’ve got a Direto and never had problems like that using iOS on an iPhone so I can only suggest contacting customer support of both TR and Elite.
I have a Drivo 1. Very few issues with it over two years. On very rare occasions (once every 4 or 5 workouts) the resistance will drop for 4 or 5 seconds in erg mode and a few pedal strokes later it will catch up (can be any interval type, but have noticed it more near SS/Threshold). I think this is probably more to do with Bluetooth than the trainer itself. Some say using the supplied cadence sensor plugged in helps the power tracking and smooth out the spikes - have tried it for a few rides and it may be true - but as I couldn’t be bothered to fit it to the bike after I went out on the road again - more testing is needed. So sorry, can’t confirm your particular problem here, but hope the info is helpful.
My drivo does this…both the power drop and the holding power high. I don’t want to deal with recalibration everything. When it happens in sweetspot or below I’ll ride it out and wait for it to settle. Anything of threshold or above I just stop reset and start it again. Doesn’t happen offen enough and I find if I stay on top of those large power changes I can control it better.
Thanks everyone for the replies! Really appreciate the feedback!
@specialized26 Since this is happening to you too, let’s try to compare our setup a little bit. One thing that I think might increase the chances but forgot to mention in the original post is my gearing. I use one of the smallest gears (one you would use climbing high incline) because it makes a lot less noise and vibrations and I live in an apartment with downstair neighbours. Is that the case for you too? What kind of cadence do you use? I’m around 90-100 in general. Have you also noticed the automatic reset around 30-40 seconds in when powering through?
@Ardian thanks for the feedback! I thought I had read this trainer did not need calibration; but I will probably contact their support to have them help me with trying this, see if it helps.
@PT1 interesting, these are the drop-offs I get. Do you still see your power change on the app or does it get stuck? The reason I wonder about the connection is I can still see the power change, it’s just very low, so it looks like it’s still connected but not putting out resistance.
@JulianM Thanks! Luckily, those intervals were short in an overall easier workout, I stop pedalling more often than not
@Jack_Russell_Racing interesting, I have tried playing with power smoothing a little bit but without big results Do you think having cadence from the Garmin sensor helps at all?
Yes, I think the Garmin cadence sensor might help. Without it, I find the Drivo (mine, but maybe not yours) reports all kinds of odd cadence spikes. Maybe without the external cadence sensor, the trainer was reporting nutty spikes to TrainerRoad which in turn caused their PowerMatch algorithm to go nuts. Whatever the case may be, my configuration has been working fine for me, and I’m not keen to change/touch anything at this point!
@Franck Re: the occasional drop. It’s rare, lasts only a few seconds, and by the time the I’ve felt the drop, the Drivo is settling down again and cadence and power soon sort themselves out (total 15-20 seconds max). Sometimes it will sort itself out faster if I quickly push the power well into the red. Never had it stick or significantly affect any of the workouts - and definitely never had an issue with anything in the VO2max and above power levels. So while being something I’ve noticed on the odd occasion (definitely not every workout), it hasn’t made any difference to my use of TR.
I run the small chainring and the 3rd or 4th cog for most workout except endurance rides I run the big chainring. I used to use the big ring for all rides and noticed it then too. It only happens on those large power changes and if you keep on top of your cadence when the power jumps it does happen as much. I spin around 90-95 sometimes quicker.
Chapeau!
Do you think having cadence from the Garmin sensor helps at all?