What shifts on my road bike should I use in workout mode and in normal mode? What shifts should I use during FTP test?
Depends if you have a smart trainer or not.
> If you do, just shift like you would on the road when on a ‘normal’ ride. The resistance of the trainer will be adjusted to simulate hills etc.
> In a workout, if you are using ERG mode (on by default for smart trainers) then there’s no need to shift - the resistance of the trainer will be adjusted to keep you near the prescribed power. For example, if you start pedalling slower but stay in the same gear, the resistance of the unit will increase to keep your power output up. That way, you can choose to grind or spin.
It’s also worth noting in workout mode that hills are ignored - in terms of increasing resistance anyway. The system will keep you at the power dictated - but will slow you down in the virtual world.
> If you do not have a smart trainer, and are having a normal ride, the system will calculate your power (zpower) from your trainer RPM (if you just have a dumb trainer) or take it from a power meter. It’ll calculate your virtual speed from this - so just change gear (if you want to) to make things feel real - eg, put it in a big gear going uphill so things are harder.
> For workouts on a dumb trainer, just change gear to match the required power output.