Originally Posted by mstateglfr

Interesting. I figured with less resistance, one could spin faster in a given gear and therefore be faster.
The zwift scale with regard to smart trainers is constantly phrased as by default being 50% of actual climbing. So if a trainer can only simulate 10% grades for example, thatnisnt a big deal since that means 20% IRL. And a 10% grade on zwift is ridden like a 5% grade.

So the obvious conclusion is that if you increase the default 50% setting, the hill will feel harder(and you will go slower or have to put out more watts to go the same speed).

Your explanation is interesting because it conflicts with how most every publication describes the resistance setting. I'm not surprised there is a lot of confusion since so many publications don't describe it clearly.