datlas 

I usually do group rides on Zwift so I do let the trainer make me work harder up hills and when not drafting. The few times I have done "workouts" etc. using Erg mode (which forces your power to be at a certain level regardless of cadence) I have typically hated it and said words that the censor won't let me repeat.

sbxx1985 

Approaching the angry driver armed with a 15lb bicycle and a blinkie ends poorly.

Eric F 

Erg mode has its place for doing a structured workout where you are trying to hit specific power targets. That's the only time I ever use it. For general riding (solo or groups) in the Zwift world, I definitely want erg mode off, and let the terrain and speed dictate the resistance I feel.

LesterOfPuppets

A U-lock will make 'em flinch a little bit sometimes

sbxx1985 

If I was driving my truck and skinny ass datlas in his spandex rolled up to give me talking to, I'd probably giggle a bit.

LesterOfPuppets

I once took out a side view mirror with a U-lock BITD. Almost getting killed used to piss me off to no end back then.

WhyFi

And is that erg or is it some other mode?

genejockey 

Yeah, but nobody ever called me normal, either.

I still MUCH prefer riding outdoors, but I still get mental/emotional benefit from Zwifting, as well as the fitness benefit. E.g., Wednesday I was in a foul mood when I started - Mrs. GJ's root canal, The Boys fighting about this and that, traffic on the way home and nobody did the damn dishes. And I had to spend a good 20 minutes clearing my bike building crap enough to allow me to set up.

But even though I only managed to complete 4 of the 6 intervals in the workout, I felt much, much more at peace with the world afterwards.

datlas 

That is SO NOT erg mode. Erg mode means the trainer keeps you at a specified power level regardless of your cadence. It's torture. Trust me.

Eric F 

Non-erg mode.

genejockey 

Sounds like "Trainer Difficulty" setting. I use 100%, which kinda mimics riding IRL, though, honestly, there's a bit of lag. I take advantage of that in the Zwift crits - there are some quick rollers right before the finish line, and I spin up before the resistance hits, rather than just bogging down over each one.

datlas 

Eric F 

Are you using your trainer in a virtual environment?

Velo Vol 

Yeah, that's why I do the Squirrel route so often--only one light on the loop, with wide roads and not a lot of traffic.

On other roads, even if you can catch up at the light/stop sign, there's likely to be other cars in the queue, making a "confrontation" more awkward.

Trsnrtr

My wife’s and I use FulGaz.

genejockey 

That's why I used erg mode, because it IS merciless. And you can tell when you're toast because you go into "Death Spiral".

LesterOfPuppets

You're looking at it all wrong. You want the other cagers watching as you "make an example" of the one that wronged you.

WhyFi

I'm used to doing intervals on dumb trainers, so I'd just select my gear and cadence that puts me on target - I think that I can hold power that way as well as what I experienced today with erg. It might take a little more hunting at the outset of an interval, but no fighting with the downward spiral of slipping cadence.

Eric F 

There's a learning curve.

WhyFi

Not yet - today was the first time riding it and it was just intervals.

sbxx1985 

Me too.

genejockey 

After a couple times shouting at cars as a catharsis after close passes or other bonehead moves, I have learned that I have one of those voices that really carries, so nowadays I don't shout at cars anymore.

Eric F 

That explains a lot. It seems most of us are referencing things that you won't experience unless you're paired with a virtual environment.

genejockey 

I do free riding in Zwift with 'Trainer Difficulty' set to 100%, so hills up to 10% FEEL LIKE hills up to 10%. Beyond that, it's hard for a wheel-on trainer to really emulate the resistance, I think. For workouts I use erg mode because otherwise I go nuts trying to maintain the power between "More Power!" and "Less Power!"

mvnsnd

Zwift only does erg mode when in a "workout". All other times it defaults to slope mode and determines slope from the slope on the course at that moment. But you also have the 'trainer difficulty' setting which does a percentage of the 'actual' slope in Zwift. So for a trainer difficulty setting of 50% and a road slope of 8%, Zwift will make the slope 'feel' like 4%. The drawback is that it still calculates your in game speed by the power being put out and therefore won't make you any faster up hills. It essentially flattens the course at 0%, and gives full slope at 100%. And therefore at higher percentages, you will find you need to shift to keep cadence where it is most comfortable.

As a side, I usually use 75-80% trainer difficulty


One more comment about erg mode. When in erg mode there is a double feedback system: The trainer trying to keep you in a power range and you trying to keep you in a power range. If you maintain a steady cadence, the trainer will do its best to keep that range. If you are erratic with your power output it will cause the trainer to have difficulty trying to keep the power range and could lead to the death spiral or the trainer releasing power for a short time. A slow increase in cadence will work just fine though. For sharp interval transitions up in power, you want to get to power and hold quickly. For sharp power reductions, its actually better to be more gradual. If the power levels are close as in over/unders, just hold the same cadence and the trainer will settle on its own.