I'm due to start half distance triathlon base soon; is the ramp test appropriate to replace the 20 minute test in week 1? I guess if I get a really weird number off it I can always just rest a couple of days and do the 20 minute test?

Wait, what? I don't think that's right. My P1 pedals don't have any idea which bike I'm riding. Even the powertap FAQ says to set the crank length on the head unit. I don't think that information is transmitted back to the pedals in any way. Can any one else confirm this?

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Sorry if I wasn't totally clear, the P1s of course do not know what bike they are on unless you tell them. But since you have configured the pedals using your head unit, the P1s save that configuration internally unless manually altered.

It's like if you were to initiate a manual-zero from your Garmin. Garmin is telling the power meter what to do, but the data and calibration are all stored on the power meter itself. So if you were to then pair to TrainerRoad, it still retains the calibration just like it retains the crank-arm length.

I hope that makes sense :)

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad

Ah, cool, I didn't realize that the communication between the head unit and the pedals was two-way. Thanks very much.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Bryce - having issues with my trainerroad - no matter how hard i pedal, i cannot seem to get a power reading above the "target power" - what could be the cause of this? I end up with workouts that are basically a straight line following the EXACT "target power" line and it can't be right...using a wahoo kickr in erg mode

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I'm only 30 days into trainer-riding and still learning. I have a 1st generation Wahoo Kickr and if I'm doing a Trainer Road workout in ERG Mode, I shouldn't have to shift correct? If I was to shift, would the bike respond as if I'm down/up shifting on an outdoor road ride or should it have no impact as the app will control the resistance? I've poked around and read a lot of the articles on the Trainer Road site but would like to get confirmation if possible that everything is working correctly and I'm understanding the workouts correctly. Thanks!

If you are using a smart trainer this is exactly what should happen. It automatically sets the resistance to ensure you are pedalling at the target power. If you pedal harder it will ease of the resistance a bit.

If you need to increase difficulty you will need to adjust the app by changing the 100% up a bit.

Hey Peter!

This is exactly what ERG mode is designed to do :) It recieves the Target Power signal from TrainerRoad and won't let you ride at anything but the Target Power. This allows you to forget about shifting and matching the target and focus all of your energy on pedalling your bike.

If you wish to be able to shift and manually match the target power, you can enable Slope or Resistance mode in the Device Settings. This will allow your trainer to function as a standard trainer.

I hope that clears things up :)

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad

miketri7 wrote:

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I'm only 30 days into trainer-riding and still learning. I have a 1st generation Wahoo Kickr and if I'm doing a Trainer Road workout in ERG Mode, I shouldn't have to shift correct? If I was to shift, would the bike respond as if I'm down/up shifting on an outdoor road ride or should it have no impact as the app will control the resistance? I've poked around and read a lot of the articles on the Trainer Road site but would like to get confirmation if possible that everything is working correctly and I'm understanding the workouts correctly. Thanks!

Hey Mike!


When using a trainer in ERG mode, you should not shift for any reason. The trainer will alter the resistance for you such that you are always meeting the Target Power. If you were to shift, it just confuses the trainer and makes it work harder to match your Target Power. Under no circumstances does shifting mid-workout help when using ERG mode, and can actually cause the trainer to lock up momentarily, which can disrupt your ride.


Let me know if there is anything else I can clarify for you!

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad

This is interesting -- I have done this recently, but in the past I would sometimes do some standing efforts in ERG mode. My normal standing cadence is way slower than my sitting cadence, and I found it much easier if I would shift up on standing and back down to sit. That way I could let the Kickr see about the same revs when standing despite my slower cadence. Am I right that you are saying this is a bad idea?

I have the exact problem as Tommasi after the update as well.
In the end i gave up and switched to an Android device which had ANT+ chipset built in.

If you are able to smoothly transition between the two, then you can absolutely do that, however you do need to be careful and smooth in the transition to avoid locking up the trainer. The issue really arises if the power demands are especially high like during a hard interval. Shifting under these conditions can be detrimental and can lock up your trainer. During an easy recovery valley though, you can probably get away with it :)

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OK, thanks.

Hi Bryce, I presume you are the resident TR rep. I just got a Garmin Fenix 5 watch in the hopes that it would also work as heart rate monitor in TR. when I open the app on my phone which it is connected to via bluetooth, it never appears in the add device field. I have closed out all other apps including the Garmin connect app thinking that maybe it wanted to connect to that app rather then the TR app. still no luck.

as a second try, I use my MacBook Pro often with the TR app on it. but the watch only wants to connect to the Mac via the USB cord. thats not your issue though so I can look at that method if you know the Garmin watches will work with the TR app. thanks!

That's a fenix5 thing, not a TR issue.
The fenix5 optical HR doesn't broadcast an ANT+ or bluetooth signal that TR or any other app can utilize. you'll need an external HR strap to do that.
ALTERNATIVELY, you can make it all go the other way, connect you trainer/power meter to the watch and have it all be captured in a garmin workout for review afterwards.

Perfect. not the answer i was looking for, but makes sense! I thought about doing it the way you suggested with the garmin workout doing HR, but sadly it doesnt measure power because i dont have a power meter. Im using the virtual power in TR (and if i use virtual power in TR, the speed and cadence sensors are on bluetooth and will only connect to the computer or the watch, but not both). so it looks like i get to buy a powermeter for the bike, or a HR strap for the TR app. lol. power meter sounds more useful since i have a HR watch,

If you start a activity on your fenix it'll broadcast heart rate https://www8.garmin.com/...E2-A3557E7D53C2.html

The Fenix5 does broadcast HR over ANT+. I use my Fenix5 to broadcast my HR to TrainerRoad running on my laptop all the time.

Did you enable HR broadcasting on the Fenix5? Settings - Sensors & Accessories - Wrist Heart Rate - Broadcast During Activity

what kind of laptop are you using? it looks as if i need a USB 2.0 to ANT+ dongle to make it work. if you have a mac doing it, thats good enough for me to give it a try!

I am using an HP Windows 10 laptop with a USB ANT+ dongle. The dongle is necessary as the laptop does not have a way to natively receive an ANT+ signal.

Anyone try using Trainerroad with TACX Satori Smart? I can't get a cadence/RPM reading. I've tried contacting customer support but haven't received a response.

Hi,
I've got a question on the Bird -1-session:
Should I try to do the 1 minute 130% of FTP intervals in the aero position?
Thanks and kind regrads,
Dan

Hey Evokevin!

I just though I would take a second to clarify everything so that all the info is in the same place :)

These instructions will appply to all three Garmin Fenix 5 series watches as well as the Forerunner 935. Other watches are capable of broadcasting, but the steps may be slightly different.

Within your watch settings:

Settings-> Sensors & Accessories -> Wrist Heart Rate-> Broadcast Heart Rate
You can also select "Broadcast during Activity" if you run your Garmin watch during your TrainerRoad workout. This is what I do with my 935.

This will then broadcast the HR signal via ANT+, just like an ANT+ heart rate monitor would.

To make your Mac or PC ANT+ compatible, you will need an ANT+ USB Stick. These are our recommended models:
Garmin ANT+ Stick
Anself USB ANT+ Stick

Once you have the appropriate ANT+ hardware, go ahead and pair to the broadcasted heart rate signal within your Device Settings and you're good to go :)

I hope this helps clear up any confusion there may be!

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad

Hey there!

I'm so sorry that Support has been a bit slow to get back to you, this is our busiest season so despite Support working harder than ever, the response times are still a bit slower than our usual standard.

May I ask if you are pairing your Satori via Bluetooth?

The reason I ask is becasue we are currently dealing with a bug with the Bluetooth connection on this particular trainer that causes the Cadence reading to be lost :( We are working on a fix, but in the meantime the only way to resolve the issue would be to pair via ANT+.

I'm really sorry I don't have better news for you at this time, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad

If you are familiar and adapted to your aero position and can successfully complete those bursts, then by all means give it a shot :) As you start to fatigue and are unable to successfully complete the intervals, go ahead and sit up to maximize your power output.

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Get Faster with TrainerRoad