Rich990 Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 Hey hubbers, I was speaking to a mate on the weekend who mentioned that oval chainrings work well for riding with cleats - and not really for flat pedals. Any experience with this? My wife got me a 32t oval nw for my birthday but I'm thinking of rather going for a 32t round nw. I ride with flats. Thoughts?
kk6gan Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 I ride with flats and have a 32t oval ring with no problems. The first ride going from round felt weird but I would imagine it would with cleats as well. From there it has been smooth sailing and I don't even notice I'm riding with an oval. So yeah, I say go for it!
BaGearA Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 Hey hubbers, I was speaking to a mate on the weekend who mentioned that oval chainrings work well for riding with cleats - and not really for flat pedals. Any experience with this? My wife got me a 32t oval nw for my birthday but I'm thinking of rather going for a 32t round nw. I ride with flats. Thoughts?keep the oval dude
clement Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 Did your mate say why oval chainrings do not work with flat pedals?
Rich990 Posted January 15, 2017 Author Posted January 15, 2017 He said the real benefit is on the upstroke - which when you're cleated in is there. Not so much on flats apparently?
Kalahari Vegmot Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 He said the real benefit is on the upstroke - which when you're cleated in is there. Not so much on flats apparently?The whole thing with "cleats help you pull up" is bull anyway. Stick with the oval
Jewbacca Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 If the ring retains the chain and makes your rear wheel turn, it is doing it's job. Any benefits, hidden, scientifically or other are immaterial if you already have the chainring surely? Just ride the thing till it dies and go from there..... Overthinking stuff when the fundamentals are in place is silly.
clement Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 Sounds like a good point but not correct, while you will most probably have less power in the upstroke with flats the benefit of an oval ring is on how the power is distributed over the entire revolution regardless of which leg is generating it.
popcorn_skollie Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 Sounds like a good point but not correct, while you will most probably have less power in the upstroke with flats the benefit of an oval ring is on how the power is distributed over the entire revolution regardless of which leg is generating it. Also a good point except...Your 'upstroke' is always accompanied by a down stroke on the other foot is it not so? So technically...http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/matrix/images/d/da/Spoon_Boy_Neo_Bends.jpgThere is no spoon... Being clipped in is almost a moot point. Assuming you have a good pedal+shoe combo. Flats can be pretty efficient at climbing with the right technique. Enough to question how valid this upstroke theory really is... Then. Assuming you make a valid point. That you can't benefit from an oval while riding flats. Will switching to a round ring be more efficient than the oval? Because of your pedals? Or will they seem the same anyways. But your flats prevent you from the oval's added benefit. If your assumption is the latter. Why change at all? Why not try the oval anyways? Its silly to ditch something based on assumptions without testing it yourself first. Seen lots of flats and ovals. They won't shut up about how great it is. But. All of that is simply irrelevant. The real issue is this. You're about to ditch a gift from the wife. Seriously?Its not some jacket she bought on the last minute that doesn't fit.Its a cherry picked part which shows she wanted to get you something that you are passionate about. If she asks how the ring is working out.Tell her you love it. Even if you can't tell the difference.
Sparky and the Warden Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 running Absolute black oval+11speedNX on my Reign, simply put it just works... DO IT!!!!!
Thermophage Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 He said the real benefit is on the upstroke - which when you're cleated in is there. Not so much on flats apparently?Your mate is wrong...I found they're more beneficial with flats than clipped in...Anyhoo, circumstantial anyway. ride it if u like it, but make sure to try it properly before dismissing
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 He said the real benefit is on the upstroke - which when you're cleated in is there. Not so much on flats apparently?Reality check time. Your mate is a retard. The real benefit of the oval ring is that the majority of teeth are concentrated on the "power" phase of the stroke, ie from approx 10 deg past TDC (top dead centre) to about 10deg before BDC (bottom dead centre) in order to focus the majority of chain movement around your quads driving the pedals down. It also "smooths" out the power delivery, and is especially beneficial on flats where you have a pedal mashing technique. Upstroke concentration is mostly gumpf anyway, unless you're a track cyclist or sprinter and only in those particular circumstances. Initially I found it strange, as there was a difference in terms of how the bike moved forward under power. It was much smoother and as a consequence I had more traction on tech climbs than before. Now - I won't go back to normal rings. And yes, I'm on flats. But then you know that.
Jewbacca Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 Reality check time. Your mate is a retard. The real benefit of the oval ring is that the majority of teeth are concentrated on the "power" phase of the stroke, ie from approx 10 deg past TDC (top dead centre) to about 10deg before BDC (bottom dead centre) in order to focus the majority of chain movement around your quads driving the pedals down. It also "smooths" out the power delivery, and is especially beneficial on flats where you have a pedal mashing technique. Upstroke concentration is mostly gumpf anyway, unless you're a track cyclist or sprinter and only in those particular circumstances. Maybe his friend is not a retard but actually a crafty fox who was trying to make the OP get a round one and then swoop in and take the oval one off his hands...
rudi-h Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 hi-jack on* efficiency is one aspect.. is it more difficult to wheelie or manual with oval rings? I can imagine it will make a difference but not sure if it worsens or improves your ability to do cool stuff on the bike hi-jack off*
dirtypot Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 hi-jack on* efficiency is one aspect.. is it more difficult to wheelie or manual with oval rings? I can imagine it will make a difference but not sure if it worsens or improves your ability to do cool stuff on the bike hi-jack off* With my oval I can wheelie my bike for just about as long as I want. I lost all wheelie ability when I first swapped over, but with a bit of practice it became a breeze.
Cogent Industries Posted January 16, 2017 Posted January 16, 2017 running Absolute black oval+11speedNX on my Reign, simply put it just works... DO IT!!!!! Where did you get your Absolute Black from?
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