When to shift gears and when not to shift gears

The Archives Archived: Tips and Troubleshooting
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Hello,
First, hope you have a great Thanksgiving and get some time with friends and family. I just have a quick question, since I am such a rookie at riding and am learning everything from watts to FTP’s.

Here is my two part question: First, I have a Kinetic Road Smart trainer, I am wondering if I should be shifting gears when I am on a regular ride in London, or Wattopia? Second, if I pick a work out like FTP training I see an option to do it in ERG mode, so I am thinking I don’t shift in erg mode, but am wondering what I should be doing.

 

So, that’s my question, is it ok or should I be shifting gears in a regular ride through London etc, and then when I select a workout should I just pick a gear and ride in that with no shifting.

Thanks,
Chip

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Normally when you’re doing a workout you do it in ERG mode and you don’t need to change gear as your smart trainer will change resistance to match the workout power target. Just free riding or racing you will need to change gear as your smart trainer will change resistance to match the terrain. You then change gear as you would in real life.

Sometimes the workout may call for a low cadence or high cadence. It can help to change gear. The following article explains:

https://zwiftblog.com/shift-during-erg-workouts/

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Thanks, really appreciate the answer and the link…!!

 

Chip

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