What do you do with your data?
 

So you have a phone or device that gives you ride data. There are a hundreds of options out there for analysis, sharing, comparing and competing. I thought it might be nice to see what other BF members are doing with the data, consolidate some of the options at least and maybe find a new program or website.

I have a Garmin Edge 500. I'll upload to Garmin Connect and Strava 100% of the time. I like the competitive aspect of Strava, even if it's just for my own PR. I haven't really gotten into Garmin Connect that much, but it shows more metrics on each ride and I like the reports you can come up with.

I tried Garmin Training Center and gave up on it, someone seriously needs to redo their software. I downloaded My Tourbook the other day and it shows some promise but there are a few things I haven't liked about it. Like for example, when setting up my profile I have to convert my height and weight to metric even though I selected imperial units.

Anyway, what do you do with your data? Website, program, excel spreadsheet?

Right now, I'm just uploading to Garmin Connect. I have used Ride With GPS a few times for the route planning and GPX file creating tools.

This was discussed recently.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...log-your-rides


This thread discusses what programs people use to log data and how they like them.

WKO+, Garmin Connect, and Strava. Then put some of the data on a spreadsheet that I have been keeping for about ten years.

Garmin Connect and TrainingPeaks.

I just signed up at Strava. Is there an easy way to mass upload?

Besides the website discussion what do you guys analyze about data? Heart rate, avg speed, cadence, etc?

I'm more interested in keeping the routes. I'll look at the other stuff just out of curiosity and sometimes compare to previous runs on the same route.

Yeah, I'm aware of that thread. I'm asking what you do with the data, not what you use to log the data. In other words, this shouldn't devolve into a discussion about how smartphones take care of it and Garmins are overpriced, blah, blah, blah.

What data do you throw in the spreadsheet?

If you have the files on your Garmin you should just be able to upload the multiples from the upload screen. Alternatively, if you have the files on your computer, Strava says to send the files in an email to them and they'll process them.

Yah, I'm curious about this as well. I have Strava, Connect and use Training Peaks and will look at the graphs and see the gist of the workout, but generally don't see any real analysis tools with any of these programs.

I've been using my data for Fitocracy and for trying to inch myself closer and closer to the 3:00/mile for 10 straight miles. 3:34/mile all time record!

I'll keep an eye on HR while on the ride but I don't really do much with it after. Avg speed to me isn't that useful unless it's over the same route under similar conditions, or over a longer period of time on multiple rides. That's where I like the reports in Garmin Connect. You can select to show a report by month and compare average speed over time. The idea, for me at least, is that I should see a trend toward faster averages. Cadence is a lot like HR for me, I use it while on the bike but not much after. As for other stuff, I don't really do that much right now except for what Strava offers; comparison of segments. I like to create private segments on typical routes that involve rolling hills to see if I'm keeping my speed up on those. For me anyway that's my weakness. I do fine on flats, I do ok on long climbs once I get into a rhythm, but on rolling hills I have a tendency to want to sit down and spin when I should just get a little more anaerobic and carry my speed over the hill.

I'm addicted to my data after my rides or runs. One of the things I like to do is compare post-ride data with the "seat of the pants" effort I was putting into it, ie. "Ahh, so that's what 90% max HR feels like at 9% grade", and so on.

WKO and sometimes Garmin Connect if I want to share ride data publicly...

I then email the WKO data to my coach and he does his thing...

I use Strava to compare my PRs (mostly climbs) to other riders in the area. It's great motivation to try and improve my times and lets me see how insanely strong (to me) other riders are.

The directions for mass uploading are on strava's upload page. You'll be limited by the size of your outgoing email limit (20MB for gmail). This of course requires getting exports of all the rides from Connect, which takes a little time.

i put everything on Garmin Connect, just because it's free and an easy way to share with friends/etc.

recently i am also uploading to Strava because of the leaderboards

After demoing other programs and trying out different websites I use Sporttracks. One of the main plugins I use is the "Training Load" plugin to, based upon heart rate, track in a somewhat objective way, my Training Stress Balance and fitness. I also use the Analysis and Overlay plugin to look at a somewhat smoothed average for speed and heart rate. There are a lot of other plugins too that do things like guesstimate power based on wind speed, weight, speed, grade, etc. (which of course isn't accurate but based on what some people say they have found when they compare it to a power meter is a pretty good approximation of power without a power meter), calculate power from trainer power curves, download weather information, compare routes, etc. There is a ton of information available to look at - as much or more than you want, or as little as you want.

I have every ride I have done in the last year and a half (pretty much as long as I have been riding) saved except one when I forgot to charge my Garmin.

Share? Why?

I used to put mine into a desktop app called SportTracks, which I like quite a bit. These days I don't really spend much of my free time in front of a computer. My data is sitting there in files, ready to be analyzed if the need comes up. When I bought a new frame recently, I was interested in the data and my heart rate from the test rides. But for a typical ride around the city, I don't feel that compelled to look at it on the computer lately. When I take the bike somewhere, like a ride up Mt Rainier, then I'll upload the file to Garmin Connect and email a few people a link. I'm most interested in the maps.

I have a Garmin Edge 500. After uploading the data from a ride to Garmin Connect, I download the TCX data file and import that into a program called DashWare, which overlays your ride data onto your ride videos. I have it set to display speed, heart rate, altitude, percent grade, and distance while the video plays. Here's an example from a steep climb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_NanMq4-xw

Here's a descent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkdeSSTY0QE

Dashware for videos and Golden Cheetah for records/analysis.

Did you just answer your own question?

garmin TC, garmin connect, ridewithgps, now strava. Have done zero analysis, hope to do some this offseason. Most important data to me is what I see "live" on the bike while training. Once it goes into the archive, I rarely look at it.

Date, ride time, miles, weight, kilojoules, (used to do avg hr and max hr but no longer wear hr monitor), avg watt, nominal watt, max watt, type of ride (mtb, cx, road, tt), who with, route, other.