Q Rings...

soulchild

soulchild

Well-Known Member
I've been contemplating my SS gearing for a new build and it got me thinking about the Q rings... I've got the 34t on the Flash and run 53/39 on the Supersix but I was wondering if the size of the ring increased the effectiveness of the 'OCP' technology or if it's just a 'perceived' benefit due to the increased range of motion and energy output required for a complete revolution of the larger ring...

:hmmm:
 
I over thought your entire post.

Lets ride bikes

I saved you 4 ribs
 
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I'm actually not... just bored... so I wondered about the rings... it matters not to me... I'm building an eno wheel and slapping that bitch on the flash since I have no need for 2 geared carbon ht's... bam single speed... i'm either going 34/19 or 32/18 again... pretty much the same shit... not that serious at all... my question had no relevance to the SS build... I was just prefacing my question with what my thought process was that lead me to wonder about the rings at all...

I was really just thinking about this in a general sense as I watch iron chef and stare at the six on the other side of the living room... just feels like even when in similar gearing it seems like there's more noticeable benefit when pushing the 53t as compared to the 39t...

and if you really saved me 4 ribs I might have to hug you (no homo) :D
 
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Guys like Freddy and Norm ride them and seem to like them. I've ridden them and thought they were retarded. As with any product there's equal number of guys that will swear by and against it.

Just man up, try it and make a judgement fo' yo'self son!!

-Jim.
 
deep stuff lou.

I don't think increasing the size of the ring increases the benefit. However, the perceived benefit may be greater since when you are pushing a bigger gear at a low candence, you are putting more stress on your muscles and knees and if the biopace rings relieve some of that stress, you perceive a greater benefit even though there is probably none from any other aspect (compraing different size biopace rings, that is, not comparing biopace and a regular ring).

Gear selection is a persoanl thing, you would need to try the different rings to see what works best, which could be really costly with biopace.
 
They are different than BioPace, although they look very similar. I've sat through the pitch and it's pretty much a bolt-on solution to fix an inefficient pedal stroke.

As with any issue there's always 2 methods of fixing the problem. Replace a part or correct improper technique. The yang to Rotor Rings would be Power Cranks, which train your legs to use the muscles during your upstroke and develop an overall more powerful and efficient pedal stroke.

But, like I said above, try it and make your own call. If you don't like it there's a ton of oval-curious guys that will snatch them up.

-Jim.
 
If you love them on the road bike, you will love them on the ss bike.

I find them most valuable at a low RPM. Something pretty common on a SS.

You will know real quickly how you feel about them if you go back to round rings.
 
I am a huge fan of Rotor Rings.

I can tell you having ridden bio pace and rotor rings within the same season that they are not the same. Bio pace rings actually made me feel like my cadence was slowed and where rotor rings made my pedaling more efficient bio did the opposite.

I have read tons of articles regarding the efficiency of them and they all have shown to increase power with less effort. They do vary from study to study but the results are the same.

Jimmy makes a couple points which I agree with. Power cranks are supposed to be a fantastic training tool. I have no experience with them however. You also can train your spin via single legged drills and high/low cadence intervals. However I would argue that with all that work you still could not create the perfect pedal stroke and you still can benefit from use of rotor rings. Even many in the pro peloton use and benefit from what they can do.
 
ArmyOfNone said:
I can tell you having ridden bio pace and rotor rings within the same season that they are not the same. Bio pace rings actually made me feel like my cadence was slowed and where rotor rings made my pedaling more efficient bio did the opposite.
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When/how did you ride Bio-Pace? They've been a dead technology for ages.

As to the feeling that the big ring has a "benefit", that's true. Given the same gear-inch combo, between your 39 and your 53, the big ring combination will feel a bit better, because of the larger chain ring and rear cog having more wrap and being a little more efficient therefore. It's nothing huge, but it is something that can be felt.
 
I had Q-ring on one of my single speeds. If you are a racer or think that you are the benefit is noticeable. I ended up ripping the mounting bolts through the ring, so durability of component was an issue. I’m a masher so I went back to regular ring.
 
ArmyOfNone said:
Even many in the pro peloton use and benefit from what they can do.
Click to expand...

It's strange even amongst those guys there's a split. The Cervelo Test Team runs Rotor cranks and rings on all their bikes. 1/2 of them run round the other 1/2 oval. It seems more common with the TT guys than the sprinters or climbers. Which would make sense if J says they work better at low RPM.

-Jim.
 
ChrisG said:
When/how did you ride Bio-Pace? They've been a dead technology for ages.
Click to expand...

You can find anything at Halters! I found one last year and threw it on my cross bike. I rode it for over a year and knew it was bad however I was to lazy to change to a normal ring.
 
I rode Bio-pace in 1987-88. I still have a hard anno set in my parts bin! Back in the day it was the way to go, until you either got in shape or learned to ride.

I don’t like the feel of larger rings. Assuming gear ratio is the same, I much prefer the smallest chainring possible.

Tom P.
 
wow this took off... I started multiQ'ing and said F it... too much work... after reading responses I think I should have been more clear that I already use Q rings on both the Flash and Six...

Wally - u da man...

Kev, Chris - thanks for getting it... makes total sense...

Jim, Fred - the power cranks would be awesome and I'd love to have em... I'd consider them for serious if they were around $500 but not at $1k... y'all think I'm made of money ;)

Jay, Fred... I agree with you guys... I love the rings...

Pearl... it's gonna be a 'everywhere I can push it' bike... I'm gonna grab a 20t too have for 'bigger' stuff...

Jay - I think that's why I like them so much... I like to push the bigger ring at lower rpm...

make it so :getsome:
 
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