Cycling UK Forum

Mick F wrote:That sounds good ......... except for the price per YEAR.
What happens to your data if you cancel or stop paying?

Well the data is probably not going to disappear from Strava as they are a big concern.

Veloviewer imports data from Strava, and if you stop paying then it seems they will throw away all but your most recent data.

https://blog.veloviewer.com/veloviewer-free-vs-pro/

If you then paid them another £10, it would be re-imported from Strava, as Strava aren't charging you to store data.

I would like to pay for some software onto my computer(s) in perpetuity.
I own my copy of Ascent and I can transfer it to any or all Mac's I want providing I have the necessary login details.
If you wanted a copy of it (if you had a Mac) I could give you my login details and you could use it too.

I paid 41USD for it in Feb 2008. It's mine for life, and it can be accessed on any Mac computer I want so long as it's not too modern ........... hence my thread.

I uploaded years of data onto it going back to 2004 and even if I didn't have GPS in those days, I kept a manual log and recreated my rides on BikeHikeUk and put the resultant GPX files onto it.

The service model is pretty common these days for software.

The advantage for the vendor is a continuing revenue stream. For the user you have to keep paying and if you are happy with the old version that's too bad. But it does at least keep things up to date, so instead of procrastinating about whether it's worth upgrading (under the 'pay once', but no support/upgrades model), you are always up-to-date.

The problem is your Ascent software was last updated October 2011, so you don't have the choice of $40 once vs £10/year, you have a choice of continuing to use your old software for free but have it be outdated, or finding something else.

How about? (and I'm so far from a computer geek so may well be/probably irrelevant)

Backwards thinking seems a good capability these days

If you can still access all your historical stuff on Ascent, how about creating a bootable clone of your current Mac Sierra OS onto another drive before you 'upgrade' to Mojave or whatever?

You'd still have to find a more 'modern' alternative - but your Ascent data history would still be accessible when your current Mac dies/gets replaced?

You'd still be able to boot into your historical data?

(I'm faced with a similar situation with a paid for food recipe application which dooesn't work beyond High Sierra - all my recipes going back several years could be lost?) Cos as sure as eggs is oeufs, one can't ignore the price nor pace of progress)

And sincere apologies if that's not helpful or relevant

That is very helpful and supportive too.
Thanks.

Clone my 10.12.6 Sierra and my Mac HD, and partition it on a newer Mac if and when I get one.

I reckon that is the way ahead.
Thanks muchly for putting my head straight about this.
Obvious really.

This software should do it. Maybe others out there.
https://bombich.com

Mick F wrote:That is very helpful and supportive too.
Thanks.

Clone my 10.12.6 Sierra and my Mac HD, and partition it on a newer Mac if and when I get one.

I reckon that is the way ahead.
Thanks muchly for putting my head straight about this.
Obvious really.

This software should do it. Maybe others out there.
https://bombich.com

That software is excellent. I've used it for years 15+. I don't know anything that compares with it. I haven't the latest version yet though. It used to be free, but I now have a paid version - it deserves payment in my view.

Mick F wrote:Sent an email to Rob Boyer who designed and marketed Ascent. rob_boyer@mac.com
Found his email address when checking on my Ascent account details and passwords.
Hopefully, I'll get an optimistic reply.

I've received a reply!

Interesting too.

Hi Mick
I am running Ascent on Mojave - and not seeing any issues. What problems were you seeing on High Sierra?
It’s been years since I’ve worked on the program, I simply ran out of time. I would like to “modernize” it at some point, and rewrite large parts of it. Not sure when this will be possible.
In any case, thanks for contacting me - hopefully we can at least get you running again.
Rob

I've replied including a link to a thread I had about this issue last May.
Hopefully, he'll put my mind at rest about the future. Maybe it's my computer that need its cobwebs cleaning out. Perhaps a complete deletion and a clean install will cure it.
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=122048

Mick F wrote:Ascent wasn't working on High Sierra. It was really I suppose, but crashed sometimes during use.
Main issue with it, was that if I went to Ascent Preferences, Ascent crashed immediately every single time.

It was fine on the iMac in Yosemite 10.10.5, and is fine now that I've gone back to 10.10.5 on this MBA.
I reckon it's all to do with using an old dead program on a brand new operating system.

It looks like I was wrong, and Ascent will work properly. I have no real idea why it didn't work properly with High Sierra. Maybe Rob can offer an explanation.

Mick F wrote:What about using Strava online?
Trouble is, I’m not interested in the slightest about sharing my stats and tracks, and I’m definitely NOT and athlete nor interested in competition and comparison. Strava is designed for those things, and not for someone like me.

Can Strava be used solely for recording my rides as a storage and viewing device for me, and NOT for sharing?
Can I spend weeks(?) uploading my past rides?

It sounds like you've sorted your problem.

However I think it's still worth saying that Strava will do what you are asking & isn't just about competition and comparison.

The competition, segment times, stats etc. are clearly some of the more prominent features and a big draw for many users, but it can equally be used for storing and reviewing your own rides and you can keep your profile and info private if you wish.

Personally I quite like looking at where friends have been on their rides and sharing my own adventures in map format.

My only reservation is that I am to some extent relying on the Strava servers for the safe keeping of my ride archive, so I always retain and back up copies of my ride GPX files.

Vitara wrote:My only reservation ....................... I always retain and back up copies of my ride GPX files.

Exactly that.

Anything precious on a computer or on a server can be lost in a moment. I try to backup mine and have a couple of CDs of them.
Ascent will automatically back up to any file/folder you specify in the preferences, but I fell foul of it some time soon after 2011 and have lost some - but not all - of that year.
The bad files are there, but corrupted.

Cugel wrote:[if you're not sharing this ride data with other cyclists a la Strava, why do you collect it; and why not other sorts of activity data?
Cugel

Because it's nice to have a look at what you did, a week ago or ten years ago. For that reason I take a notebook touring and every evening write a journal of my day's endeavors. I've just enjoyed reliving a ride from Berwick to Appleby I did with a mate in 2012. Perhaps it's my age but if you don't record something it vanishes e.g. That nice teashop in where was it?... You get the picture. BTW Mick have you looked at RidewithGPS? As with Strava you don't have to share your routes.

PJ520 wrote: BTW Mick have you looked at RidewithGPS?

Yes, I have.

I'm sticking with Ascent, and sticking with my computer and software - Sierra 10.12.6 - for now. I know that Ascent should continue working into the future, so I'm happy.

PJ520 wrote:

Cugel wrote:[if you're not sharing this ride data with other cyclists a la Strava, why do you collect it; and why not other sorts of activity data?
Cugel

Because it's nice to have a look at what you did, a week ago or ten years ago. For that reason I take a notebook touring and every evening write a journal of my day's endeavors. I've just enjoyed reliving a ride from Berwick to Appleby I did with a mate in 2012. Perhaps it's my age but if you don't record something it vanishes e.g. That nice teashop in where was it?... You get the picture. BTW Mick have you looked at RidewithGPS? As with Strava you don't have to share your routes.

I can understand prosthetic memory - I like the photograph myself. However ....

An interesting article in New Scientist concerning memory reported various aspects of our human ability to recall the past, including the effects of prosthetic memory technologies such as photographs, written journals and other snapshots of out past doings or whereabouts. One of the main findings was that the use of such prosthetic aids actually degraded and decreased the memory itself, as our clever brainboxes vote to remember less if we know we're putting the information about events into a separate container.

In truth I've always known this about the photos. Although they can prompt memories in the sense of opening the door to them, I became aware that a lot of the memory was of taking the photo rather than of the event itself.

****
In addition, I would say that a video or a photo contains far more information to prompt or enhance what memory we do have than does a column of figures or a brief entry in a journal. I did collect and record cycling data when a racing fellow; also during the recovery period after a serious illness. I can remember nothing of the circumstances of the rides involved when I now look at those ancient journals.

On the other hand, I can recall - and almost relive - many of the more exciting rides I've had, going back 60 years. The remembrances are whole and natural - not just a sparse data summary or snapshot. Reliving them in the head seems the best way to remember them, even if those remembrances are not complete or entirely accurate. That's how our memory facility evolved after all.

Cugel

Cugel wrote: One of the main findings was that the use of such prosthetic aids actually degraded and decreased the memory itself, as our clever brainboxes vote to remember less if we know we're putting the information about events into a separate container.
Cugel

Hmmm...Could well be. But some kind of hard copy does help with accuracy. The first sixteen years of my life I lived with my now late brother but when he talked about our past it was as if he grew up in a some other village. Memory is notorious for filling in the blanks as any trial lawyer will tell you. As to Mick's motivation for keeping records perhaps he just likes doing it. I used to love train spotting: there was something profoundly satisfying in underlining a 'cop' in my Ian Allen book - something most other people just didn't get.

Hi All,
I'm a Strava User, mainly using it to keep a record of my rides.
Strava Support offer the following advice:
https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/art ... ulk-Export
This can be used if you decide to close your Strava Account, or if you're worried that your data might be lost.
Regards, Ian.