Erg mode will basically set you a power to aim at, because your power output and cadence (to alesser degree) will vary, it cannot force you to have an exact power output constantly.
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Im not suggesting a fault with the Neo. Im suggesting a fault with Zwift. ERG mode should surely be setting the resistance of the trainer and locking that resistance, therefore the ride should be smooth and steady. Isnt that the whole point of ERG. If not them whats the point of ERG?
As quoted from bike rader⌠" ERG mode is a setting in training platforms such as Zwift that fixes your power output by automatically adjusting your resistance to match your cadence."
That isnât what it does, it varies the resistance to keep you at a set wattage.
if you pedal slower the resistance goes up, if you pedal quicker the resistance goes down.
this is why your power output will change. As your cadence fluctuates the trainer will adjust the resistance to compensate and youâd expect your power output to move above and below the target a bit unless you have the smoothest pedal stroke in the known universe.
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The Neo doesnât just set a fixed resistance in erg mode. It is constantly adjusting resistance to compensate for changes in your pedal stroke in order to maintain the target power. It is constantly hunting to keep you on track. If your cadence varies at all or your delivery of torque is uneven then the Neo will compensate.
This is particularly evident during sprintervals, when the power will always overshoot initially, and then fine tune the resistance (constantly) to get you back on track. The more consistent your pedal stroke the faster the target will be reached, but in a 10 second sprint there is barely time to finish settling down before things change again. Your legs canât just change from 200W to 500W and back again as a square wave.
Hereâs an example from a sprint workout. The grey solid area represents the target power. The pink line shows the actual power produced vs target. It does not matter to me that the sprint isnât flat and level at the top. It would be unrealistic to expect it. The point is that the power produced and duration matched with each goal, including the inevitable lag to overcome inertia etcâŚ
And between intervals, rock solid. No wild swings in power. But also, not unrealistically pan flat. Simply the truth.
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I had issues with the Wahoo on very short sprints, understandably, but they were still doable. Its impossible with the Neo. Even 30 second intervals are almost a waste of time. There needs to be something written into the Zwift software to compensate for this. Zwift knows what trainers were riding when connected so why cant code be written to make Neo`s more compatible?
O/T, why are half of your posts in code?
Edit: itâs because youâre using the wrong character for an apostrophe. Carry on.
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Yep - Wahooâs have an ERG Power smoothing setting that smooths the data at the trainer before sending to Zwift. I suspect OPâs Core had this on. If he had it off, the power numbers would be all over the place.
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Letâs see if theyâve managed to.
Seems like they have. My guess is user error!
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Its kinda what Im looking for, a fix for Neos to have power smoothing. Or else whats the point in trying to use ERG. I`d be better keeping it in freeride mode on a flat course and doing my own workout. Pointless.
Itâs you pressing the wrong key, not the the forum. 
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I think Wahoo (with smoothing enabled) is actually showing the ERG target power as long as you stay within the power range that keeps it enabled.
I have no idea if they (Neoâs) do/dont and Iâm sure someone here would have suggested it by now if they did. I just know Wahooâs reasonably well.
Just found this which explains a bit more about the Wahoo sideâŚ
All About ERG Mode Power Smoothing On Wahoo KICKR Trainers | Zwift Insider.
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Just to tick off a couple of things.
You do have the neo paired as controllable and power source, right?
when the workout goes to a different segment do you notice the trainer changing resistance?
if you pedal slower does the resistance get harder?
If you pedal faster does it get easier?
Chris⌠Yes of course. Yes I do. And honestly there doesnât seem to be much pattern to how it behaves. Just to clarify so people realise that Iâm not just some noob, Iâve been riding bikes for 20 years. Iâve been indoor training for probably 10. Iâm computer literate, Iâve built many PCâs. I have two legs.
Thereâs clearly a software issue as the trainer is perfect on the Tacx app. The issue is only on Zwift.
I think itâs obvious that others are having this issue by doing a search. There seems to be no answer to the problem.
I think Zwift are aware of this problem but wonât admit it.
I was hoping to get a fix from fellow users but I donât think there is a solution.
This is not a problem with Zwift.
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well at least you know which key is the apostrophe now.
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Have you updated the firmware? There are some threads just like yours on Garminâs forums with users having similar experiences using trainer road too⌠so not just a zwift problem, its the trainer.
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Well at least one good thing has come out of this 
So it looks like if I or others want to be able to use ERG as intended weâll need to either get a different trainer or use a different platform.
Just a shame that Neoâs are listed as compatible when clearly they are not.
Yes latest firmware.
Clearly a compatibility problem then if the trainer is working as it should and so is Zwift.