I used several pieces of software when I was anylyzing files:
- SRM PC software (the Mac software sucked at the time. Not sure if it's better now. I don't think so.)
- PowerAgent (made by PowerTap. I even used this to analyze SRM files.)
- Golden Cheetah
Golden Cheetah was my favorite.
BTW, you can import .SRM files into Golden Cheetah then export into other formats (.CSV if you want to import into PowerAgent).
One of my favorite custom charts was Torque vs Cadence. Basically, "How hard are you pushing at X RPM?" This was useful in determining what gears I was good at riding at high speeds. Even though I could spin 160+ rpm on the bike, my max
effective cadence (where I was actually adding a useful amount of torque per pedal stroke) was around 140rpm. So, basically, any RPM over 140 was useless. I wasn't adding any acceleration (or any force to counter deceleration).
Conclusions:
- This lead me stop trying to use 150 RPM as a target cadence in flying 200M as used to be the conventional wisdom.
- I was vindicated when detailed photos of the London Olympic Flying 200M event would show 135-140-ish RPM on the racer's SRM head units during the fastest part of their flying 200s
Wisdom-gained:
Q: "What gear should I use for the Flying 200?"
A: "The biggest gear that you can get to 135-140rpm. If you get to +145rpm, it's too small. You are revving-out and not applying any torque."