Hi , tonight I did my first ramp test. In order to get to my required target power I had to peddle like a nutter to get to the power required, up to about 250w. Was hitting 150 rpm at times. A) am I wearing myself out prematurely and B) am I doing something wrong. Heart rate was certainly up compared to normal on low power levels I can usually cruise at.
I am sure it’s not right as I ride at about 85 cadence normally and easily maintain about 230w for long durations with a sensible heat rate . Using a Wahoo Kickr Core, Apple TV , Zwift play controllers and companion app in iPhone.
did you do the Ramp Test Lite, or the standard one?
Did you feel the resistance change with each step of the ramp? On the pairing screen is the trainer paired on the Resistance tile?
standard one pal
it certainly got harder! however I did not feel “comfortable” and able to slow down to about 90rpm til it was about 225/250w.
I fear the the extra cardio effort for the first part I may have put in more cardio than req as my HR was far higher than what you would do doing 100-150w with the cadence req. generally 100w I am putting in no-very little effort let alone having to peddle like I was in a spin class only with no resistance!
I think my legs would fall off before hitting 150rpm.
You should be able to pedal at whatever cadence you want throughout the whole FTP test if the trainer is paired as controllable, so somethings off if that wasn’t working properly.
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pedal slower and the trainer will adjust the resistance to whatever cadence you’re doing… the faster you pedal, the less resistance you’ll get because the trainer is ensuring you hit the target wattage for you when erg mode is enabled, which it is in these tests. maybe it doesnt sound intuitive, but if you put it in the little ring (if you have a smaller chainring to put it in, but otherwise just use the easiest gear you have) the trainer won’t have to work so hard to provide the right amount of resistance either, that might help. i don’t think i’ve used erg mode in about 4 years so i might be misremembering that tip, but give it a go
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Hi, thanks. I will try this next time . Plan on doing one a month and hopefully see the improvements by summer
Hi everyone, I appreciate the great support provided in this thread.
@Mark_Bailey_Turbo_sn, I took a look at your logs server and found out you were on ERG mode while doing the Ramp Test. If you use ERG mode during the 20-minute FTP test block, you’ll need to change bike gears to get an appropriate resistance level. Zwift will not change resistance to match a power target during the FTP test block.
I’m attaching this article with more relevant information about the FTP test. I recommend you disable the ERG mode in your next FTP test to see if it makes a difference. I would appreciate it if you could let us know if that helped.
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They were doing a ramp test, not a 20 min test. Why would you recommend disabling ERG mode on the ramp test?
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oh boy 
big deal man, she’s green. you never made a mistake at work before? i had to go back and edit a post with some actually helpful info because i skim read the OP like, literally yesterday. not trying to lecture you brother but i would quite like it if the staff actually came here and read our concerns about the important stuff
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Just for clarity, I believe the Zwift rep most likely intended to say this:
For the 20 min test, make sure erg mode is OFF.
For the ramp test, make sure erg mode is ON.
In erg mode, the trainer should adjust the resistance automatically. If you just start the ramp test at your preferred cadence, you should be able to maintain that cadence until your legs fail. If that was not what happened, then perhaps the OP could clarify what happened.
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that brilliant. thanks for your help and looking into it