Powermeter programs

[stuckey]

I am not sure how many here train with a powermeter... I am about to buy a powertap and was wondering if the included program was worth using? I do not really want to use WK0 since I use a Mac. I have never owned anything with Windows or used it outside of work and I really do not want to. A Mac school system spoiled me... Is there any other programs out there that I have not found?

[bocarider]

I thought that Saris' Power Agent was Mac Compatible. Not that you would want to use it - it is pretty limited in what it can tell you about your downloaded data, especially with what WKO+ does for you (at least in my opinion).

I really like WKO+ a lot.

Try running WKO+ in the windows emulation mode on your mac.

[jeffg]

I thought that Saris' Power Agent was Mac Compatible. Not that you would want to use it - it is pretty limited in what it can tell you about your downloaded data, especially with what WKO+ does for you (at least in my opinion).

I really like WKO+ a lot.

Try running WKO+ in the windows emulation mode on your mac.

Power Agent is mac compatible, but is indeed not as helpful as WKO. If you are self-training, then I would consider WKO. Otherwise, just send the data to your coach for starters!

[Ti Designs]

Otherwise, just send the data to your coach for starters!


There's a statement I could live without.

[gregclimbs]

As a coach who only works with power, poweragent is great, but would be looking at the trees and not the forest.

For mac (I use one too) look to Raceday (http://www.physfarm.com/tech/) and tell Phil I sent ya.

I has a lot of the features of wko+ (and like myself and Hunter, Phil was part of the "beta" team that used TSTWKT - as it was known before PMC was trademarked by trainingpeaks) and some that wko+ doesn't have as well.

It downloads the ptap (and SRM in beta) natively on the mac.

Lemme know if there are any other questions.

g

[Chris]

In my opinion, you are wasting your time and money if you don't use WKO, it is the gold standard.

[92degrees]

I use VMware on the Mac and run WKO and it's been rock solid.

[stuckey]

As a coach who only works with power, poweragent is great, but would be looking at the trees and not the forest.

For mac (I use one too) look to Raceday (http://www.physfarm.com/tech/) and tell Phil I sent ya.

I has a lot of the features of wko+ (and like myself and Hunter, Phil was part of the "beta" team that used TSTWKT - as it was known before PMC was trademarked by trainingpeaks) and some that wko+ doesn't have as well.

It downloads the ptap (and SRM in beta) natively on the mac.

Lemme know if there are any other questions.

g

Thanks, Raceday looks like a nice program that is worth a try.
At $99 compared to getting a Mac to run windows then WKO I say it is a great deal. Plus windows on a Mac is like putting a ford engine in your Benz.

[Auk]

Wko.

[Philbert]

At $99 compared to getting a Mac to run windows then WKO I say it is a great deal. Plus windows on a Mac is like putting a ford engine in your Benz.

This was exactly my thought when I started work on RaceDay :) I was tired of Windows and liked my Mac and said, what the hell? Worst thing that happens is that I get squashed by the TrainingPeaks Juggernaut, but I'll still have a great program that runs native on my Mac.

(However, enough people asked me to build a PC version, so I did that, too.)

Think of RaceDay like a supercharged WKO+ in terms of analysis. It is a bit more streamlined in some ways (read: much easier to use, esp. if you are new to the power game), but where it really shines is in it's ability to predict performance, as well as plot your optimal taper.

If anyone has any questions, I am happy to answer, of course.

Phil

[stuckey]

Hi Phil, thanks for responding to this topic. I was wondering what is going on with the videos on your site? Even if I download them and open them in Quicktime it is just code. Is there a PDF file or some instruction sheet/overview I can download? I am for sure going to go with Raceday as soon as my powertap gets here. I just want to try and be on top of the game before I start using it.

[Philbert]

Hmm. That is really strange. What version of OSX are you using? They download fine to my Macbook and Pro running Leopard. Try opening it in iTunes and tell me what happens.

Email me offline and I can shoot you the manual.

[stuckey]

I am still using tiger, it would not open using Itunes either.

[jeffg]

There's a statement I could live without.

Why?

Even if the rider is local, you need to get the coach ride data unless you have a chip in your head to receive data without a computer! Or, do your athletes never train with power?

[Dave]

I have both poweragent and WKO+ that I got free with my wheelset. I'm not smart enough to know what advantage WKO offers. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

FWIW, at age 55 my max heart rate has dropped from over 200 to 180-185. What used to be a hard effort HR is now my max and 80-85% of my max feels like I'm loafing. During a 1 hour mountain climb, I'm rarely under 90% of max, unless I slow down to what I consider a touring pace.

So far, the only thing I've established is that on a really good day, I can produce 4W/Kg over a 15 minute climbing interval. My good days are few and far between. If I'm not feeling energetic, I drop my power output by 30-40 watts and forget about any intervals.

I don't race, so sprinting means nothing to me, but I do want to improve my power output for the Mt. Evans hillclimb, that requires about 2.5 hours.

[A.L.Breguet]

Coach handles all the numbers for me. WKO+.
SRM.

[gregclimbs]

Coach handles all the numbers for me.


While that works for some, I find that my coaching relationship with most clients is both coach as well as educator.

I find that if I teach as I go along, the athlete becomes more educated, becomes more in tune with what workouts, periods and how they relate to goals.

And that more educated athlete is better able to communicate their response to the training, is a better coached athlete and makes me a better coach.

FWIW, YMMV, etc. etc.

g

[A.L.Breguet]

Hmmmm. Coach as teacher, teacher as coach. I like the sound of that. :beer:

[Ti Designs]

Why?

Even if the rider is local, you need to get the coach ride data unless you have a chip in your head to receive data without a computer! Or, do your athletes never train with power?


Training with power is the next step beyond my program. I coach in person, on the bike (or on the trainer), I teach skills and techniques and tactics. All the data in the world isn't going to do much good if you don't know how to pedal the bike. A number of my past riders are now using power meters and sending data to their coaches, but they're cat 2's or 1's now.

[11.4]

I'm not a software designer, but one important thing to consider in your choice of software is how it processes your data. If you use an SRM and download data directly to any of the standard products other than SRMWin, it processes some of the data and dumps some that it doesn't use. Then if you want to move your data to another program or want to do more analyses, you may find your file no longer has the data you need. I've heard that this is an issue with other powermeters as well. The approach that many people use is to download directly to SRMWin (which only comes in a Windows version). That ensures that all data is saved in the file. Then import a copy of that file into whatever local software you want to use and don't worry about clipping your original file. It's important to plan ahead, because it's the data that you are collecting now that you'll want to compare to data you gather three or four years from now, and if you can't do that, you've lost one of the major benefits of your powermeter. Plus, you may want to go to a coach or change coaches a few years from now and if you have clipped data, your coach may not be able to give you as much help as you'd feel you're paying for.

I'm an OS X user whenever possible, but I do use either Parallels or Boot Camp with Windows and SRMWin plus WKO+. Either approach works really well. I encourage people to skip the rhetoric about Windows and just go with the best software available for the purpose. If you ask a national coach for any country at a World Cup track event to take a look at some of your power data as a courtesy, they'll usually oblige -- coaches are generally nice people. But they pretty much all use Windows products.

Just in passing, I notice no one mentioned www.goldencheetah.org. I've tried it with SRM data and find it does pretty good analysis -- rather rich feature set if you're prepared to work with it.

[Ti Designs]

-- coaches are generally nice people. But they pretty much all use Windows products.


Must be where I'm going wrong, I'm not a nice person and I use a bike...

[stuckey]

Wko... no, no, no, windows will never touch my Mac...
I suggest people look at Race Day and watch the videos it looks super nice. I have my powertap on its way and I am for sure going this route. Just because WKO has street credit does not make it the best to me. Some people tell me Shimano is the best because it outsells Campy...

[gregclimbs]

I'm not a software designer, but one important thing to consider in your choice of software is how it processes your data....

<snip>

I'm an OS X user whenever possible, but I do use either Parallels or Boot Camp with Windows and SRMWin plus WKO+. Either approach works really well. I encourage people to skip the rhetoric about Windows and just go with the best software available for the purpose. If you ask a national coach for any country at a World Cup track event to take a look at some of your power data as a courtesy, they'll usually oblige -- coaches are generally nice people. But they pretty much all use Windows products.

Just in passing, I notice no one mentioned www.goldencheetah.org. I've tried it with SRM data and find it does pretty good analysis -- rather rich feature set if you're prepared to work with it.


I agree, I currently download (in order) wko+, srmwin, raceday.

And I use a custom spreadsheet to plan workouts for myself and clients.

And there are many reasons to download the native file (especially SRM - like adjusting slope/zo ex post facto).

But the OP is talking powertap and there is no gain as they all do the same thing as native (csv).

BTW, with parallels and vmware you can do both (virtualize a boot camp partition). works really well.

Oh, and re: golden cheetah - it is nice, but does not support the new srm filetype and will not download natively. Several of my pcv's are the newest firmware which requires the latest SRMWin and so any of my new files do NOT work with GC.

althought QA in a click is NICE.

g