ROTOR Q- Rings.

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
At first glance you will think that these are Bio-Pace rings.

They are not. In fact they feel very very different than anything I have ever tried.

They are like cheating on SS bike. I went from a 33 round to a 34 Q-ring and I swear that it was easier by a lot.

They are not cheap. Figure around $70 for a single middle ring. More still on the big ring.

The amazing thing is that even though they are not round they do in fact work on a SS bike w/o a chain tensioner. You almost have to see it to believe it.

I have one ride on them so far but they felt great. I can't see myself going back to round rings. I also got a set for the road bike and believe it or not they actually shift very well.

This is an easy idea to dismiss.. I have been thinking of trying them for a long time. Not long ago I rode the Rotor cranks and I was baffled how they eliminated the dead spot in the stroke. The rings have less of an advantage but the effect is very noticeable.

EDIT: A 34t Q ring has a maximum equivalency if a 35.9 and a minimum of 32.6. Basically easier and harder than the 33 it replaced. How can that not be better?


http://www.rotorbike.com/2006/qmtb.htm


I can think of no disadvantage other than price.


j-:)
 
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J-Dro

Well-Known Member
I'm not doubting you, but can you explain how an oval ring works on a SS without a tensioner?
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
I'm not doubting you, but can you explain how an oval ring works on a SS without a tensioner?

I did not believe that it could work without binding the chain or worse. As it seems to be symmetric it pulls more chain on one side an releases the same amount on the other.


This is the best SS improvement I have found. I will let you borrow one. It is that good.


The general idea is that with this ring you have varying amounts of torque on the chain.

Let's say you are running a 34 like I did today. In general terms it is as if you were pushing a 36 in the portion of you stroke when you have the most leverage on the crank arms. In the dead spot it would be as of you suddenly have a 32. This happens twice per revolution. Once per leg.


I looks so weird that is doesn't seem like it would work.

It is amazing. I can't belive I didn't try them sooner.

j
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
huh, that's interesting. jay do you have a rock ring on those? seems to me that for $70 a ring i'd certainly want to protect that investment...but with shape wouldn't part of the ring "hang" out?

great post though...i'm very interested in these...especially if it makes the SS experience more gooder. :D
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
huh, that's interesting. jay do you have a rock ring on those? seems to me that for $70 a ring i'd certainly want to protect that investment...but with shape wouldn't part of the ring "hang" out?

great post though...i'm very interested in these...especially if it makes the SS experience more gooder. :D

I ran the same bash guard that I have always used. The chain sticks out past the bash guard at the high points by about 3mm. The obvious fix is to run a 36t rated bash ring with a 34t Q-Ring.

Honestly on a 29er it sits nice and high so it almost never touches wood or rocks.


I just ordered a good amount of these and I am going to get a couple of 34t 4 bolt for demo. I should have them sometime next week it you want to try it.


I was so skeptical of this and I am sure that you are too. They do work.


Read the site end to end. There is so much detail on the Rotor site. I read it all and I still didn't believe it until I rode them.

j-
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
if your shop wasn't so damn far away i would absolutely take you up on that.

on a side note, correct me if i'm wrong (which is very often) but weren't granny gears like this at one point? i seem to remember the guy from my shop telling me the granny on my trek (antelope 850) was oblong for this very reason. i could also be crazy and/or have damaged those brain cells. nothing shocking.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
if your shop wasn't so damn far away i would absolutely take you up on that.

on a side note, correct me if i'm wrong (which is very often) but weren't granny gears like this at one point? i seem to remember the guy from my shop telling me the granny on my trek (antelope 850) was oblong for this very reason. i could also be crazy and/or have damaged those brain cells. nothing shocking.

They made Bio-pace a long while back. This is not the same.

j
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I already run a 34t on the front. What advantage would this ring offer me? It'll be "easier" to pedal but still achieve the same rollout?
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
chris, from what i read on the site, it allows you to "push the bigger gear" where your optimum pedal stroke-power is. makes a lot of sense and i'm real interested in trying one of these on the mary. you may be asking the same question, but i'm curious how it effects flat spinning?

also, jay, do you have it so the 32.xT is in the "power" stroke or the 35.xT?
 
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jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
I already run a 34t on the front. What advantage would this ring offer me? It'll be "easier" to pedal but still achieve the same rollout?

You are not eligible for any more advantages.

sorry.


j
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
chris, from what i read on the site, it allows you to "push the bigger gear" where your optimum pedal stroke-power is. makes a lot of sense and i'm real interested in trying one of these on the mary. you may be asking the same question, but i'm curious how it effects flat spinning?

also, jay, do you have it so the 32.xT is in the "power" stroke or the 35.xT?


c'mon, i asked a legit question for once. :( i'm actually very interested in these.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
c'mon, i asked a legit question for once. :( i'm actually very interested in these.
Sorry Jake; you've become collateral damage as these boys break my balls.

That's OK, they'll have to ride with me again one of these days...:hitsfan:
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
Sorry Jake; you've become collateral damage as these boys break my balls.

That's OK, they'll have to ride with me again one of these days...:hitsfan:

don't aplogize to him. he is responsible for more than his fair share of broken thread mojo
 

walter

Fourth Party
Sorry Jake; you've become collateral damage as these boys break my balls.

That's OK, they'll have to ride with me again one of these days...:hitsfan:

I'll be safe from the splatter, since I'm waaaayyy in the back, until I drop out, that is
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
chris, from what i read on the site, it allows you to "push the bigger gear" where your optimum pedal stroke-power is. makes a lot of sense and i'm real interested in trying one of these on the mary. you may be asking the same question, but i'm curious how it effects flat spinning?

also, jay, do you have it so the 32.xT is in the "power" stroke or the 35.xT?

The Q-rings help you spin through your dead spot by reducing torque in that range of the rotation.

On a 29er momentum is everything. Once those big wheels slow down you have to work harder to get them going again compared to a 26". Once the bike gets up to speed you can actually have a faster top end speed since you effectively are pushing 2+ teeth bigger. To me this fixes the few things I was struggling with on a 29er SS. Truly amazing stuff..



You will feel improved acceleration since you are no longer fighting the cranks through your dead spot. You are also harnessing the the potential of the most powerful portion if you stroke. The Q-Rings can be rotated on the crank to achieve proper power stroke alignment. This means that if you tend to spin vs mash or Stand and climb vs. sit and climb you may find that rotating the ring one way or the other on the rank arms will work better for you..

I set up a Tri bike today for a world ranked tri guy. He rotates the big ring one way to gain more power while seated and the inner Ring the alternate way to gain more power while standing to climb.




You can see some reviews here:

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Chainring/product_126238.shtml


No matter what you read you will not believe in them until you ride them.

I didn't..


j
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Too bad you don't have that PT still. Grabbing the power measurements is a sure way to see how it all pans out.
 
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