Is it bad to use ERG mode?

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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wilwil
Posts: 693
Joined: Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:47 pm

by wilwil

Just read something by Tom Danielson saying that training in ERG mode isnt so good. This is because you are not finding the power levels yourself.
https://cinchcycling.cc/blogs/news/how- ... g-you-back
Has he got a point?

alexmcm09
Posts: 92
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:02 am

by alexmcm09

Weird argument. Does he not believe in using gears either? Surely changing to a harder gear (and maintaining a similar cadence) is "forcing" you to hit the power target.

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jekyll man
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by jekyll man

Yes it's far worse than doping and claiming it's down to your Eskimo heritage.

Seriously, he's got a point although not bothering to read the article. You need to be able to get a feel for the intensities required esp above sweet spot.
Starting an interval at 90rpm and hanging on at 70 by the end isn't eliciting the same response as being on top of it all the way through.
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ms6073
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by ms6073

While I am also in the camp of those expressing skepticism over taking coaching advice from TD, if you are an up and comming racer with pro level aspirations, then there is validity to his point. Realistically though, most will fall into the time crunched cyclist category, and therefore lack the kind of time required to really undergo the adaptations mentioned in the article.
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handler
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by handler

I recommend reading his book. There's is some legimate good advices there.

robeambro
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Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:21 pm

by robeambro

I'm not reading the full article (I'll admit - seeing the sensationalist headline and picture threw me off) but as usual I would argue that most people have other far more important limiters to their performance (e.g. diet, time, body weight) to worry about, before considering switching off ERG.

Then again, I do agree that it is important to be able to "find the power" by yourself, but I am assuming that most people will do the odd Zwift race and/or will have a PM for outdoor riding where they will have to learn to do just that, so it's not that they're "training for baseball hitting from a T instead of from a pitch" all the time, as he says.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

^ In other words it’s difficult, especially outdoors or in sim mode to maintain a power target. Staying at that power target is more important to the vast majority of us from a fitness standpoint than the nuance of training how to keep that power down with environmental variables in play.

I’ve never seen someone win a bike race doing 2x3x5s. I’m perfectly fine with the idea of using ERG to hit targets, especially in aerobic zones. Mix in fast outdoor group rides with hard efforts and we figure out “power control” pretty quickly.

Ashton Lambie spends a shitload of time in ERG. I feel like he’s doing something right.

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I don't care for erg but IMO, it isn't going to matter one way or another. One could say that steady state intervals on a trainer (erg or not) are nothing like riding out on the road where terrain incline and cadence constantly varies.

Mcdeez
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by Mcdeez

,^this

A trainer will never simimulate the outdoor experience

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