Zwift Watt Lock: ERG Mode Without the Workout File
Zwift's Watt Lock lets you toggle ERG mode mid-ride for steady power without building a workout. Here's how it works and where it falls short.
Zwift's new Watt Lock feature lets you toggle any free ride into ERG mode on the fly — set a target wattage, and your trainer adjusts resistance to hold it. For the dad who gets 45 minutes after the kids are in bed, this is a practical shortcut: you can lock in 180 watts for a zone 2 session without building a workout file, or dial up to threshold for a few intervals mid-ride without touching the workout builder. It works in free rides, group rides, meetups, and with RoboPacers. Minimum threshold is 50 watts, and it auto-disables if your cadence drops below 25 rpm — Zwift's way of pulling you out of the ERG death spiral before you grind to a halt.
The limitation worth knowing: Watt Lock isn't available in races, workouts, or time trials, and if you stop pedaling (say, during a Coffee Stop), it switches off and you have to re-enable it manually at your target power. There's also a quirk — when you disable Watt Lock, it resets to default virtual gearing rather than restoring your previous setup. Zwift says a future update will fix that. For structured training purists, this doesn't replace a proper workout with prescribed intervals and rest periods. But for semi-structured free riding where you want to hold steady power without babysitting the screen, it fills a gap.
