Well, I figured I would post it here as I am likely to get more reasonable and informed answers.

I figured I would give this whole power training thing a try, so I went out and did a power test today (FTP) according tot eh instructions on the "Training and Racing with a Powermeter" book. My power tap sends info to the Garmin 705, so that is where I downloaded the file from in TCX format to my iMac. Now, I am having a hard time finding a way to analyze it. I downloaded Golden Cheetah since I had read about it, but the software seems to be staling and locking on me. I can guesstimate some things from there, like my FTP, but I could have guesstimated even without doing the test itself.

I would prefer not to have to pay for any ongoing services for now like Training Peaks and such.

Suggestions??

i use golden cheetah and it works great. which version did you download? i think version 2 is pretty stable, but i'm using the newest development build (3.something, released a couple of weeks ago) and i haven't had any problems.

I just downloaded whatever they have on their site today. 7.5.3.37 version.

The software is staling and locking up on you? Try re installing, re downloading, or getting an older 'stable' version. Are you just downloading it from HERE?

I use version 2.0 (on windows7) and it's bug free....for the most part.

i personally use both gc 2.0 and 3.xx (what ever was the current developers model two ro three months ago). i like the original for its setup and layout, but i like the 3.xx version ebcause it has tss, np and all the trainingpeaks style ride statistics.

Golden Cheetah works fine for me. I use it to import from my Garmin Edge 500 and SRM PowerControl V.

Like others have said, use the current release which is 2.1.

Version 3 (beta) works, but still has some small hiccups depending on the build you use.

I recently downloaded GC to use with an Edge 500 on my mac. It worked fine *except* when I tried to use the PM tab, it'd hang and crash. Ultimately I ended up just creating a new profile and it all worked just fine. Was that similar to your problem, or does GC stall/lockup doing something else?

I use GC and instead of importing from device, I import from file - and navigate to the appropriate folder on the Garmin. That works well.

I too use a developer build (3.x) - has been working fine for me.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I reloaded the programs and they work much better. Now, if I could just figure out how to make a training plan based on the couple of rides I target yearly that would make me feel accomplished LOL..........