Issues with ERG mode and cadence

Hi I’ve just bought an elite suite and I’m having issues with some of the workouts not releasing the power quickly after an interval. Cash register being an example.
Sprints are the main issue. I’m hitting the target power and holding it for 30 sec, but as the power then drops according to the workout, the trainer is not releasing the power to match what’s on the screen As a result the cadence dips and almost locks while in ERG mode.
Getting the trainer back then to the lower power target is almost impossible and I’m chucking out 600+ watts to get it to release at a cadence of 40 rpm. It does eventually release to 165 watts with a cadence of 90 rpm but it makes the workout almost impossible to complete as I’m not getting proper recovery between intervals.
I’ve done a trainer spin down with elite and as far as I can tell I have the latest system software.
No issues with Zwift plans, just tried one and I didn’t have this issue with the sufferfest app.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Not too sure if this helps, but if your using ANT+ maybe try Bluetooth,

There is a topic from a few days ago about ANT+ being slower to react to power changes…… not as slow as you appear to be having though

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That’s interesting as I’m using Ant+ for power control and for cadence off my garmin cadence sensor.
Could be worth a try.
Is anyone using the turbo trainers inbuilt cadence sensor?

Hey @Daviescgwen, have a solid review of this support article and see if any of that helps for you https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402565516946

If not, then shoot the minions a ticket and they should be able to get you sorted https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

FWIW, as a general rule, it is generally recommended to do very short intervals in Level mode. For Cash Register, you might want to consider going into Level mode for the sprints then back into ERG for the longer efforts. Some trainers are great at fast resistance changes and others not so much. I’m not sure what OS you are using or what device but I use a Mac and am able to use the keyboard shortcuts the reverse apostrophe and 1-0 to toggle between ERG and Level mode. ` = ERG and 0-9 are the different levels outside of ERG.

Hope this helps.

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Bluetooth is definitely worth a try for the trainer. There is no reason not to use BT for the trainer and stick with ANT+ for the external cadence sensor.
Trainer cadence is pretty accurate for longer efforts, but doesn’t react as quickly or accurately during changes as an external sensor, so it’s worth keeping the external for your visible cadence.

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I’ve got a kickr '18 and use the trainer’s cadence calculation which I find is generally pretty good. If I have actual cadence drills, I will use my Ant+ garmin cadence sensor as it allows me to record my spinning like the Speed Demon of Sufferlandria (200+ rpm) whereas the internal cadence calculation used by the trainer usually gives up when I reach 135 or thereabouts.

I should add that I am using BTLE for all my connections otherwise as I was having issues with the responsiveness and dropouts with power and HRM using Ant+ There are folks here who swear the opposite and have nothing but grief with BTLE.

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Thanks for the replies. I think using level mode is definitely the way to go on sprints. I’ll give BT a go tomorrow with the cure.

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My 2cents, I had. a bit of the same issue with a Tacx Neo connected with ANT+ and switching to BT solved it for me, I don’t know about the elite suite responsiveness, but with my Neo the response time is quite ok, so I rarely switch to level mode.

+1 on much better responsiveness from my trainer to power target changes when using Bluetooth. They are usually spot on with Bluetooth, whereas with ANT+ there could be a delay of a few seconds.

Agreed. I have done this in the past when I had a cadence sensor that only worked with ANT+.

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I’ll try the Bluetooth tomorrow for trainer control and only use the ant+ for my cadence sensor. Hope that improves the situation

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I use BT for my trainer and it’s works nice with snappy power changes. But when I used Ant+ I often get delayed power changes.

I use Ant+ for HR and Cadence as the connection for me is more stable and HR doesn’t change as often or as fast, and I get fewer dropouts.

But definitely use BT for power control if you can.

So a big thanks to all who helped.
Used Bluetooth to control power in erg and ant+ for cadence and heart rate monitor and today it worked well with 20:10 intervals.
Problem solved.
Thanks

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I also use the Suito and sometimes have similar problems, I noticed when I used my android tablet that the intervals were much better than on my pc… I didn’t realise this was due to ANT+. will try this as well. thanks!

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