# Powermeter software suggestion



## Ericv2010 (Nov 30, 2010)

Hey - I'm looking for a suggestion on software to use to analyze powermeter data. I've tried Poweragent and Golden Cheetah but am convinced there's something better out there. Ideally there's something that includes the functionality of both software packages.

I'm also not against purchasing something like WKO+ if they offered something for Mac users.

I'm a Mac user. Note that I use a Garmin Edge 500 not a Cycleops head unit or Joule.

looking forward to the suggestions


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## Bigpikle (May 15, 2010)

have you tried the latest version of GC, only released a few days ago... Otherwise it seems you need to somehow run Windoze on your mac and take your pic. I'm in the same boat and use GC.


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## Ericv2010 (Nov 30, 2010)

Yeah, the version of GC that I'm on was released on the 30th of November. Pretty recent.

I don't like how I have to jack the 'smoothing' way up to eliminate the swings in HR. I'm using a Garmin Edge and apparently due to a setting on the device ('smart recording' or something like that), it creates all these spikes in HR. By increasing the 'smoothing' setting, I eliminate any perceptible trends.

Also there's the issue of having to first download the ride to Garmin's proprietary software, then export in .tcx format...then re-import to GC. Major pain in the a*s. Wouldn't mind this extra step if I could get smooth data and if I could make heads or tails of the 'Metrics' tab. thinking there may be too much detail here for me to wrap my head around.

Garmin's software "Garmin Training Center" doesn't have the same level of detail as GC but it's much more user friendly. 

Pretty frustrating that there aren't any better software choices available - even if I had to pay for it, I'd prefer to do that than settle for a mediocre software solution...


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

You shouldn't need to do that. You can copy the FIT files directly off the Edge 500 when mounted as a USB device, and GC can read FIT files. Well, this is true on a PC anyway. The HR spikes are curious. Are they spiking up to 220-240 or more - this would indicate poor conductivity on your chest when using the HR strap. Smart recording should not be an issue here - your heart rate shouldn't be changing that outrageously over a 3-5 second period.

You could also try the free version of TrainingPeaks on the web. I presume it gives a reasonable subset of the WKO+ functionality. There seems to be some info around on how to get the Windows version of WKO+ to work on a Mac though its not officially supported.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Ericv2010 said:


> Also there's the issue of having to first download the ride to Garmin's proprietary software, then export in .tcx format...then re-import to GC. Major pain in the a*s.


No.

Once your Edge 500 is mounted as a storage device you can mouse to Ride> Import or Hit Control-I to import from a file and select Garmin/Activities/yyyy-mm-mm-hh-mm-ss.fit.

You'll get a pop-up prompting you to select a date. Some how things can go wrong and produce a date/time in the Rides list which doesn't match Start Time in the Workout notes.



> Wouldn't mind this extra step if I could get smooth data and if I could make heads or tails of the 'Metrics' tab.


Many of the metrics are power derived and not relevant to you.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Since you download your data fairly often anyway, why not just stop using smart recording?


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

iliveonnitro said:


> Since you download your data fairly often anyway, why not just stop using smart recording?


You can't. Every second recording is only available on the Garmin 500 when you have a powermeter. This is a lame and unnecessary restriction in the Garmin firmware.


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

*Race Day*

Have you tried Race Day? I don't know anything about it, but figured that I would put it out there
http://physfarm.com/new/?page_id=7


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## tethernaut (Dec 11, 2008)

I have been using Race Day for the past year. It doesn't have nearly the number of graphs and bells and whistles that GC has. But it has a really good algorithm for tracking and then predicting performance over time, which is useful if you want to try to plan your build and taper leading up to an event. The prediction algorithm is almost scary good - it almost always predicts my average wattage on the climb I use for testing within a couple of watts.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

Ericv2010 said:


> I don't like how I have to jack the 'smoothing' way up to eliminate the swings in HR.


GIGO. In other words, it's not the fault of the software if your HRM generates crappy data.


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## Ericv2010 (Nov 30, 2010)

Thanks for all the good responses guys. Since my original post, I've continued with my software search and I think I might have found a suitable alternative. As I posted in my original message I'm a Mac user with a gamin Edge 500- the Mac part basically rules WKO+ out for me...or so I thought.

The folks at Training Peaks now have an online version of their WKO+ which, when you use it with their Mac-compatible Device Agent, allows Mac users to use their software. The only downside to this is that none of the data will actually reside on my computer.

They have two versions, a basic account that has ads and limited functionality and a premium account that you pay for ($120/year).

I have only a single question at this point as I think I've found the ideal software for my purposes:

1. For those WKO+ users out there that have used botth the online version and the desktop software - is there any functionality that's missing from the online version that's present in the desktop version?

Thanks again for the responses!


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

Ericv2010 said:


> Since my original post, I've continued with my software search and I think I might have found a suitable alternative. As I posted in my original message I'm a Mac user with a gamin Edge 500- the Mac part basically rules WKO+ out for me...or so I thought.


Err, this is what I suggested in comment #4 ...


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## Ericv2010 (Nov 30, 2010)

Ok. Please review my question, I was actually asking about differences between onlinevand desktop versions of WKO - not sure how your comment addresses this question...


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

Ericv2010 said:


> Ok. Please review my question, I was actually asking about differences between onlinevand desktop versions of WKO - not sure how your comment addresses this question...


Since you've ruled out the desktop version, the question seems moot to me. I suggest that you review the differences between the free and premium versions, watch the demo video, try out the free version of the on-line TrainingPeaks and see if how you like it, and/or try the 1 month trial of premium for $20. Ultimately you need to see if it has the features that you are looking for.


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