Oval chainring?
- Thread starter scooter77
- Start date
rick81721
Lothar
I have them on both road and mtb - smoother pedaling for me. I don't get the "2 chainrings in one" comment.
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
I assume it’s like having a bigger ring in the “power area” of the pedal stroke and smaller one in the “dead zones”. Or at least that’s the marketing speak.
Yes I do have them on several of my bikes.
I actually run a mixed set on the EVO. Oval for the 36 but regular for the 52.
Yes those are the actual sizes of the rings and not a typo.
rick81721
Lothar
Impressive! When I get a FL-focused roadbike, it'll have a 53 tooth (and it'll be 1x, won't need a second chainring).
one piece crank
Well-Known Member
Ha, my 1985 Trek 670 has 53T big ring, and a corncob FW. I can't believe we used to ride that set-up in Hunterdon County...
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
Point missed....
Standard is 53/39
Compact is usually 50/34
52/36? And just the small ring is oval? That’s just plain goofy.
Standard is 53/39
Compact is usually 50/34
52/36? And just the small ring is oval? That’s just plain goofy.
52/36 “Mid Compact” has been on Specialized for several years now.
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
Oh Snap! I guess I can expect a visit from a pair of frowning S-Works “the suits”.
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Point missed....
View attachment 81787
Standard is 53/39
Compact is usually 50/34
52/36? And just the small ring is oval? That’s just plain goofy.
Yes, 52/36 is mid compact and not coined by the big S, so you are safe Jugger.
I was on oval on the mtb early in the year, switched to round for the middle, now back on oval. It is nothing like having "two" chainrings gearing wise.
Traction seems to be more consistent with the oval, when i went back to round, the rear tire would spin more on seated, loose ascents until I adjusted.
Goinging back to oval, i dont know. I am a smooth spinner type and the oval doeesnt feel alittle more smooth when spinning. Does it actually make a difference, who knows.
I never felt like the power spot was in the right spot for me , especially racing enduro were most efforts are on the downs . I always felt they were geared towards climbing and who cares about that ? Now factor in bike suspensions that relie on the size of the ring to provide certain type of characteristics and drastically different seat angles from brand to brand how can one ring be optimized for that . Road and hard tails I can see the benefits but for full suspension I dont see how it would be beneficial besides placebo
I’ve used them on all of my Bikes for at least ten years. At this point a round ring feels square and really odd to me. I really got into these when I rode a SS bike all the time. On that setup it’s suoer helpful since you often are running super high and super low cadence.
I’ll offer that they are not all the same. Some have differing ovalocity (I think that’s the word) and specifically the rings by rotor of Spain offer different timing. With the rotor rings you can vary at which point in your stroke that the cam increases torque. This is pretty helpful as someone who rides their saddle super far forward has different needs than someone who sits super far back over the bb.
I’d say that they are here to stay and with the current rides of 1x drivetrains there is little downside as they shift for shit on two by drivetrains. In fact sram now offers them as well which shows that they are commonplace enough for larger production numbers.
I’ll offer that they are not all the same. Some have differing ovalocity (I think that’s the word) and specifically the rings by rotor of Spain offer different timing. With the rotor rings you can vary at which point in your stroke that the cam increases torque. This is pretty helpful as someone who rides their saddle super far forward has different needs than someone who sits super far back over the bb.
I’d say that they are here to stay and with the current rides of 1x drivetrains there is little downside as they shift for shit on two by drivetrains. In fact sram now offers them as well which shows that they are commonplace enough for larger production numbers.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Nothing technology wise, a ton marketing wise.
Be certain that it’s clocked correctly
This should clarify this.
Shimano was into something when they tried a cam shaped ring. Unfortunately their timing or clocking was off by 90 degrees.
The major difference that occurs with a 90° change in timing is that the current oval rings match your natural power stroke instead of fighting it.
To say this is marketing alone is a bit shortsighted when various companies have sold these with great success and data to show their gains.
To be clear, it doesn’t suit everyone and much of that is based on use of a fixed timing version. I’d always recommend an adjustable timing version from rotor over others for this very reason
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Mine is a direct mount on Sram so it can only be installed one way. I’m sure it works great for some people but it’s not my cup of tea. Having it on just on of many bikes just made it particularly noticeable.
Joe J
Well-Known Member
This !!!!
Have a bunch collecting dust. The change in torq riding rock gardens would totally screw me up. On steep climbs I couldn’t feel when the rear wheel was just about to break loose so I would spin out.