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[Closed] Trainer road app woes with tacx vortex

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[#9370976]

Anyone use the above setup? Can you help with an issue I've got...

Just tried to do an ftp test and as i got to the first 5 minute power block I was spinning out in top gear at about 140rpm and there wasn't enough resistance (only reading about 200 watts with the high cadence)..

How do I get it to bring the resistance up so that I can spin at a lower cadence to achieve a target wattage?

Any help much appreciated.


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 8:03 pm
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Presuming it's a smart Vortex then the tr app takes away the erg mode when you do the 5 minute and 20 minute blocks on their ftp test workout. .

I have a bushido, which is very similar and I just take it off erg mode about a minute before each block and flick the resistance slider on the app to between 15-20%

This is on the Mac app


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 8:35 pm
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Where's this resistance slider? That sounds exactly what I need for those blocks?


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 8:52 pm
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It's at the bottom of the screen and going from memory appears when you turn it off erg mode onto resistance mode.

The picture on this page http://www.ride-fit.com/Blog/Spinning-Bike-And-Turbo-Trainer-Workout-Blog-071913.html#.WTmvkut4WK0 shows it at the bottom left of the screen


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 9:16 pm
 gray
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Yep, it definitely only appears once you shift out of erg mode (or TrainerRoad does it for you during an ftp test). I also find it best to shift out of erg mode a bit before the 8 minute interval, to get the resistance in the right ball park.


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 9:43 pm
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Sorry to hear that we ran into issues with the FTP test! Let's get you fixed up!

Sounds like everyone above got you on the right track, but in case you're still running into any troubles I wanted to drop in and extend our help. Feel free to shoot us an email at support@trainerroad.com and we'll be happy to help you with any question or concerns.

But like those who said above, the 5-minute clearing effort and 20-minute testing interval will both be in "resistance" mode. So instead of us taking care of the resistance like we do in the rest of the workouts (in ERG mode), you'll be put in resistance mode in those particular intervals and will need to adjust your gearing and/or resistance slider to be at a comfortable output during those intervals.

Hope this gets you back on track!

Cheers,

[url= https://www.trainerroad.com/how-it-works?utm_source=forums&utm_medium=forum&utm_content=How%20it%20Works&utm_campaign=forums ]Community Manager at TrainerRoad — Cycling's Most Effective Training System[/url]


 
Posted : 08/06/2017 10:52 pm
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Thanks for this, I just need to work out how to get to this slider on the android app ( I use my phone to control it).

I'll have a play over the weekend and email if I can't sort it.

Cheers


 
Posted : 09/06/2017 11:33 am
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Is resistance control new to TrainerRoad? I haven't used it for ages but I'm sure it wasnt able to control the resistance on my Tacx Vortex??


 
Posted : 09/06/2017 11:51 am
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Click on your paired devices in the bottom right, then the vortex controllable trainer and you can select erg or resistance/slope mode and a slider for resistance. I usually put into on about 20%


 
Posted : 09/06/2017 1:00 pm
 gray
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Is resistance control new to TrainerRoad? I haven't used it for ages but I'm sure it wasnt able to control the resistance on my Tacx Vortex??

When the Vortex first came out then TrainerRoad wasn't able to talk to it because Tacx hadn't made the Vortex ANT+ FE-C compatible, so only really Tacx software could control it. Shortly later Tacx released an FE-C upgrade so that third party apps like TrainerRoad (and indeed recent Garmin head units) can directly control the Vortex (in both resistance and erg modes). That was something like 2 years ago now.

I believe (but didn't pay too much attention because I use an ANT+ dongle on my laptop when running TrainerRoad) that a few months ago TrainerRoad released an update to their software that means that you can now control Tacx trainers over bluetooth, so would no longer need an ANT+ dongle with a PC or iOS device.


 
Posted : 10/06/2017 3:08 pm
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chilled76: Keep us in the loop!

bullandbladder: Resistance control (commonly referred to as ERG mode) has been available on TrainerRoad for quite a while now. We'll electronically control the resistance of your trainer to guide you through structured interval workouts to make sure you're hitting all of your power targets.

What is pretty new is the ability to control resistance for Tacx trainers over Bluetooth. Previously we were only able to do this over a communication protocol known as ANT+ FE-C. Just like Gray explained below! 🙂

Cheers,

[url= https://www.trainerroad.com/how-it-works?utm_source=forums&utm_medium=forum&utm_content=How%20it%20Works&utm_campaign=forums/ ]Community Manager at TrainerRoad — Cycling's Most Effective Training System[/url]


 
Posted : 12/06/2017 5:57 pm