O'Symetric Rings What's happening guys, I haven't posted in here before since I know more people in the mtb sections. I road ride much more than I mtb though lol so I thought to venture in here. Anyway, I've been looking at O'symmetric rings lately and want to get a set. I've heard all good things just wanted to hear some first hand experience if anyone has any? And maybe even knows where to get a deal on them?...they're pretty pricey on the website and ebay turned up nothing on them :/ Since its my first post here, ill throw up my bikes just as an intro: Roadbike (note the Fullerton Bikes bottles ) Town/Pub bike Built them both up from the frame and had a blast doing it
A picture is worth 1,000 words... Benefits: Increased power output. Elimination of dead spots. Reduced stress to knees! Very interesting! :-k
Thanks Dino! I should have though to post a pic of the darn things lol. The benefits sure do sound good and they make them for MTBs too. They're said to reduce lactic acid which would eliminate some of the soreness felt while riding. Edit: I know they're ugly looking lol.
Isn't that essentially a Shimano Biopace MkII? Interesting concept, but it looks like it'd be toast the first time you clipped a rock.
Similar idea. The O'Symmetrics look more exaggerated though. The idea was to have less chain contact while the cranks are flat and more while downstrking and putting down power.
Even if there is an advantage it is maximized for only one pedaling position. The O.Symetric (one 'm') ring literature analyzed a TT aerodynamic position. Doesn't bode well for steep climbs. Rotor allows you to shift the optimal axis but you still have to choose if your best improvement is seated and pedaling or standing and pedaling.
I don't have any experience with the O'Symetric rings, however, I have the Rotor Q rings on my road bike, and I love them. I will eventually put them on my mountain bike as well. They really work for me. I feel I have more power on the climbs and I can spin on the flats better. I originally had them on my road bike (compact crank 50/34). I switched to a standard crank 53/39 with the round rings it came with, and hated those. The first chance I got, I switched to the Rotor rings. For me it was money well spent. I got mine from Mani and Chary at twohubs.com, but I think any shop can order them. Good Luck and PM me if you have any more questions as I've been using them for over a year.
thanks warmblood, I didn't even think about the rotors until they were mentioned here. I'm going to do a little more research and see what fits best. Its definitely something I have on the list for coming soon upgrades.
The oval chain ring is not any thing new. It's been around since like the 1890's. It seems like it gets rediscovered every 10-15 years or so. I remember an article in Mountainbike Action in the 90's talking about how Biopace/oval chainrings was not a new idea and how it was tried a quite a few times before. Each time it had a bunch of hype as the latest and greatest new thing and each time it just fizzled out and disappeared. Just to be rediscovered again by the next generation. Just watch, it will disappear just to be reinvented in 10-15 years again. The idea of the oval/biopace chainring coming back has been kind of a running joke for the last 10 years. http://www.highpath.net/highpath/cycles/ovals03.html
Try winding them out in a high-rpm sustained attack. Building the muscle memory to pedal smooth efficient circles just takes a little focused effort + practice. There's no way to cheat it. Ovoid rings ensure a jerky, lurching, inefficient stroke. If you find yourself mashing, where rings like this would seem to help, you're in too steep a gear. Drop it down & spin lightly. If you were say, in a hillclimb TT event, then maybe. Otherwise, efficiency claims must be compared against all types of riding on an average course. Not to mention the continual resistance of winding up your derailleurs spring twice each stroke, which seems trivial, til you extrapolate it out over 40 miles...
I run a rotor ring on my SS and I love it. I would go rotor rings though as they are adjustable. I really felt the difference of these rings when I wasn't actually riding them. The day after riding the rotor rings I was on my road bike and I could really feel the dead spot. I guess the thing with these rings is they are set up where more of the teeth or in contact with the chain when you are using your strong quad muscles and less teeth are in contact with the chain when you would be using your hamstrings. They are pricey, I paid 125 for just a SS ring but I can't imagine riding without it.
I have been using the Rotor Q-Rings for some time now, in my 2x9, 1x10 and SS. There's definitely benefits over long term use, maximizes ea pedal stroke, less stress on the legs and knees - take that with a grain of salt for SS. I'd say they're worth the investment if you are trying to get the most out of each pedal stroke. But for most, they say they cant tell the difference. The neat thing w/ the Q-rings are the 'effective' ring size, 3 positions - 1,2,3. e.g. a 34T ring, has the effective teeth of 1) 34, 2) 35, and 3) 36T. They recommend that you work your way up the ring positions and find what works best for you, a few good rides before you change ring positions. Trust me, they are effective indeed - you can feel the difference between ea setting. And yes, pricey.
I remember the biopace era Shimano tried to push on everyone. I had it on my Mantis and hated every pedal stroke climbing and no way in hell I'm going to throw those chainrings on my Felt. Neat concept but how many times do you think people tried to reinvent the wheel? Maybe some oval set of carbon clinchers?
I like that idea. Forget ovalized chainrings... on second thought, combine em. Combine em all! Start with a huge oval rear wheel, bolt some biopace rings to a rotor crank spider mech, built on a free-spinning pair of PowerCranks arms, add a pair of eccentric pedals. Put it all on a Pursuit frame, eat twenty Honey Stinger bars, and hang on for dear life.
Be sure to offset the front oval from the rear. So that way the oscillating effect from the front cancels out the rear. Hahaha
