One of the ways I started using Magic Buckets on a Garmin Edge was to run it in parallel with an indoor workout running on EBC.
I’d start a HIT workout on EBC and at the same time start my Garmin which connected to HR and trainer power by ANT+.
EBC controlled my trainer in AUTO mode while the Garmin ran passively recording the activity.
I’d get part way into the workout and realize I didn’t want to complete it under ERG control. So, I would tap AUTO to switch to Slope mode, then monitor Magic Buckets on the Garmin to finish the workout following XMB guidelines. I’d either save the results on the Garmin and discard the EBC recording, or I’d save the EBC recording if I had completed most of the workout on EBC. Then I’d edit the title on XO to indicate a portion was finished using XMB although it’s obvious on the thumbnail chart.
Here’s a couple examples of me doing that.
- Shorts bursts (6s) with Smart-trainer - General - Xert Community Forum
- Audio cues in garmin Xert player? - Support - Xert Community Forum
Currently there isn’t a way to do this on EBC BETA.
Is it worth adding that function? Would you use it?
What you can do on the BETA is leverage low/high/peak bucket fields to “complete” a workout.
I did that today. Here’s how – and why – you may want to.
- Start a selected workout on EBC and run it as normal.
- When interval portion of the workout has completed and you’re ready to cooldown, tap AUTO to switch to Slope mode, then swipe the lower page view to display Low, High, Peak buckets.
- If you haven’t filled all the buckets (green checkmarks) continue to insert additional intervals under your control. This might mean a 10 sec sprint to top off any remaining Peak or a couple 20-30 sec efforts to fill High and Peak. Or ride easy if Low needs to be filled. IOW free ride to fill any remaining buckets.
- When finished swipe up, STOP, and save the recording.
Why would you want to do this? ERG Control (AUTO mode) doesn’t ensure intervals match their intended XSS points. Depending on your trainer’s responsiveness HIT intervals may look like this.
Or a lot worse for short spiky intervals like this.
The longer the workout set the more those missing points add up.
To see how much your trainer response affects your intervals, take a look at your past indoor HIT workouts and enable Target Power on the chart. Then zoom in.
A simple way to resolve this issue is switching to Slope mode for short spiky intervals and monitor the rainbow gauge carefully to match interval targets. Gears/cadence provide fast and tight control. Example:
Here’s an example where I deliberately exceeded targets which is another benefit to Slope mode and an inherent feature of XMB.
Another option would be to swipe up before Cooldown has ended, STOP, and select End Workout, then Continue. If you do this, Magic Buckets is fully functional including guidance to fill any remaining buckets. However, this doesn’t work at the moment because as soon as you Continue your trainer will change to its default resistance level which you can’t alter by changing gears and Slope control is not an option. To resolve this situation EBC would need to switch into Slope mode when you select Continue.
Another approach would be to add an option when you tap STOP called Switch to XMB in addition to End Workout and End Activity.
If you select Switch, EBC would change to XMB format in Slope mode and return you to the activity in progress with any remaining buckets to fill.
Another possibility (simpler solution?) is aways have Magic Buckets available when running EBC.
Start a selected workout in AUTO mode as normal. If you swipe past the power chart the Magic Buckets rainbow gauge is shown. If you want to follow XMB guidelines, tap AUTO to change to Slope mode then swipe the bottom page view to display low/high/peak buckets.
The only issue is the workout would still be running with transition sounds and a data feed to XO for the online Player. You could ignore the beeps or perhaps EBC could suppress workout sounds when viewing XMB gauge. The data feed would continue although the workout chart shown online won’t apply to what you are doing. That’s fine.
How ever this function might be implemented I’d like this as a choice. It means I can always match the XSS goal for the day or surpass the numbers.
If an ERG controlled workout is too much to handle, or the workout is ending but I’m short on points, I’d switch to XMB and complete the workout under my control.
Whether this function gets added or not, I suggest you swipe to display low/high/peak buckets during Cooldown and verify your HIT interval results. If high/peak are short, consider a switch to Slope mode then free ride to fill the buckets before ending the workout.
It’s a fun way to earn these – 
