Several years ago, I wouldn't have been sitting at my Mac on a warm spring day. Instead, I would have been out cruising the hundreds of miles of Denver-area bike trails on my RANS V-Rex recumbent bike. During those rides, I kept track of my distance, average speed, and other statistics with a Garmin eTrex Summit GPS, but had no way to analyze my performance.
Since January of 2007, Montebello Software has shipped Ascent, an application that analyzes data from exercise computers. If that exercise computer has built-in GPS, the analysis includes a plot (static or animated) of exercise paths over satellite, topographic, or street maps.
Version 1.9.4 of Ascent now includes automatic syncing with Garmin Edge 605/705 cycling computers, drag and drop importing of .gpx, .tcx, or Polar .hrm files, and the ability to split or combine activities. I've been considering a Garmin Colorado for geocaching, and found that it syncs directly with Ascent. That may actually get me off my rear end and onto my bike again, since I can now do something with all of that ride data! Runners and hikers will also find Ascent to be useful.
A function-limited trial download is available, or you can purchase a full license for $40.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-18-2008 @ 8:09PM
Marco Senf said...
with a gps iPhone comming - yes - go ahead and buy it!
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5-18-2008 @ 9:04PM
Chris Scott said...
For those of us using Garmin sports devices (Forerunner 305 in my case), Ascent rocks. The Garmin Training Center app for the Mac is only good for getting your basic stats--the mapping feature is useless. Ascent's mapping feature is what got me hooked on it.
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5-18-2008 @ 9:52PM
Mark said...
Seconded
5-19-2008 @ 11:31PM
Pat said...
yep
5-19-2008 @ 8:31AM
Charles said...
Third.
The software that came with my Garmin Edge was so pathetic (for the Mac), that Garmin should go license Ascent to bundle in, then convict the people who "ported" their software to Mac of Crimes Against Humanity!
5-18-2008 @ 10:06PM
climbingcolorado said...
Who rides a recumbent bike anyway? [kidding . . . ]
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5-18-2008 @ 10:56PM
Steven Sande said...
Uhhhh, slightly overweight over-50 males? :-)
5-19-2008 @ 1:11AM
Bill said...
How does this compare to the free (it reminds you to make a donation) Trail Runner?
http://trailrunnerx.com/
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5-19-2008 @ 2:56AM
nassosc said...
trail runner x has the best features and excellent support by the author.
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5-19-2008 @ 3:50AM
marcus said...
I couldn't agree more. Trailrunner is far better than this programm. Never had secon thoughts about my donation.
http://trailrunnerx.com/
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5-19-2008 @ 5:10AM
Al said...
Check out this review of Ascent and other GPS based training software for the Mac:
http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2008/mac-training-software-review/
Ascent came out on top.
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5-19-2008 @ 5:21AM
jussi said...
I also recommend checking out Sportstracker from Nokia, http://sportstracker.nokia.com. It works wonders with my N95.
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5-19-2008 @ 6:37AM
Georg said...
Ascent rocks the boat! The software motivated me to buy a Garmin Edge 305.
It also motivates me to go cycling more often…priceless!
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5-19-2008 @ 10:18AM
Steven Sande said...
I need the motivation! I have a Garmin nuvo for my car and a 60CS for geocaching; I think the 60cs needs replacement, don't you? :-) Then I'll get a new GPS for my bike!
5-19-2008 @ 4:33PM
Geo said...
Garmin 305 user here ... I love Ascent so far. I tried Trailrunner, and I just didn't think it offered as many cool features - but might give it another go.
Being able to playback your ride (I do a lot of MTB racing) and showing second by second playback of your speed / heartrate / cadence along the trail you just did is great. Helps you to remember those "insane climbs where your heart is beating out of your chest" when you talk to your buddies the next day. ;)
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6-28-2008 @ 10:51AM
stevek said...
I agree that Ascent is work every penny for use with garmin gps watches. The mac is barely "supported" by Garmin.
The software is frequently updated with extra facilities, often at the request of users. Bug reports (if any occur) are often fixed within the same day.
If you need gps analysis software, this it.
If you need additional features, just ask!
Any other questions there is a very knowledgeable and friendly forum.
Steve
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