Q Rings

[AndreZA]

unless you're cycling for your supper or you feel excessively uncomfortable on your existing setup' date=' I really see no point in buying them, even if they were half their actual price. [/quote']

 

Jules, what the weight of your bike again and how is your Veloce groupset working?

 

 

[Jules]

Mampara, no need to be cruel about my terrible affliction. An addiction to poncey carbon fibre is no joking matter

[Sean Badenhorst]

Originally posted by Williehond

Sean, Sastre rides with Q-rings.  Won a stage, and if you haven't noticed: he's in yellow!!!

 

That's the kind of proof I need! Now, the question is, when I buy them, do they come with the two Schleck brothers?

 

[zerocool]

Hi All,

 

Nice read here about the rings..

Non-round chainrings making headway in the pro ranks

We once counted on CSC-Saxo Bank veteran Bobby Julich being the sole rider

in the peloton using non-round rings but even though he wasn't included on the

team's Tour squad this year, the total number of riders so-equipped has still

doubled from one to two.

Julich's preferred O.symetric

brand is now represented by Agritubel's Geoffrey Lequatre while his CSC-Saxo

Bank teammate, Carlos Sastre, has also jumped on the non-round

bandwagon with Rotor's Q-Rings from his native Spain. Sastre had them mounted

on both his primary and spare bikes this year after successfully testing them

himself and apparently receiving the 'ok' from his team to use them in competition.

Rotor actually claims a number of Pro Tour riders use its rings in training

but aren't allowed to use them when it counts (we can personally vouch to include

Garmin-Slipstream's Magnus Backstedt in that category). Even so, Sastre's Q-Rings

are stealthily finished in anodized black instead of the usual champagne hue

of production bits and all of the Rotor logos have been covered over.

Both Rotor and O.symetric claim their rings provide rather heady physiological

advantages, namely increased power coupled with reduced exertion (otherwise

known as free speed), although the Rotor design is notably less radically shaped

than O.symetric's 'harmonic' form.

Either way, both Sastre and Lequatre have likely gone up against a fair bit

of sponsor resistance to run their preferred equipment so whether the performance

gain is real or imagined, each of them feels it's well worth the effort.

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[WorcesterWheelers]

 

Sean' date=' Sastre rides with Q-rings.  Won a stage, and if you haven't noticed: he's in yellow!!!

[/quote']

Will he be using them when he loses the tour on Saturday?

 

Perhaps MdK should offer Sastre a ride on the 555EXPRESS, and put Cancellara on the front of the tandem.......

 

[zerocool]

 

[Guest Big H]

Remember Q-ring and Rotor have index holes to set action at your optimum. Biospace was fixed ..... I think??????

[decibach db]

The concept behind Q-Rings enables you to push an effective bigger gear while in the power down stroke when your leg muscles are able to apply more power and an effective smaller gear while in the dead-spots; while producing a smooth pedaling motion. Riders report that "it is like dancing up the hill."

[decibach db]

Remember Q-ring and Rotor have index holes to set action at your optimum. Biospace was fixed ..... I think??????

 

 

 

From their site:

 

 

 

The most often asked question about Q-Rings is "how are these different from the Shimano Bio-Pace and other brands of non-circular chainrings?" The short and simple but not so obvious answers are:

 

 

 

    * The Q-Rings are elliptical; the Bio-pace and O.SYMETRIC chainrings are asymmetrical. The specific elliptical shape of the Q's provide a very smooth uniform pedaling stroke; there is no sudden acceleration movement.

 

    * The Bio-Pace chainrings are designed so the maximum equivalent tooth size is at the dead-spots. The Q's have the minimum equivalent tooth size at the dead-spots. This enables you to pass through the dead-spots quicker with less stress to your knees.

 

    * The Q-Rings take into consideration the forces from your legs in static conditions and the inertias of the cyclist and the bicycle. This maximizes the efficiency and comfort of conventional cranks.

 

    * The ROTOR patented OCP system enables you to customize the position of the Q-Rings to suit your individual riding habits, body geometry, strength and position on the bike.

[Guest Big H]

Maybe this is what makes them work???????

[GoLefty!!]

well I would not call it dancing up the hill but they do seem to have an immediate benefit.

 

I fitted them last year to my bike the day before a race and noticed that for the RPE, the HR was lower.

 

now if someones cares to wash RPE off as hogwash then I shall refer you that Dr Richard fellow at Sports Science Institute...

 

[mdk555]

 

Sean' date=' Sastre rides with Q-rings.  Won a stage, and if you haven't noticed: he's in yellow!!!

[/quote']

Will he be using them when he loses the tour on Saturday?

 

Perhaps MdK should offer Sastre a ride on the 555EXPRESS, and put Cancellara on the front of the tandem.......

 

[eliminator]

There is a proper study being done down at Rhodes University over the next few months.  Q-Rings will be tested by a number of cyclists and the bikes will be equipped with power meters - results will be very interesting to see.

 

Here?s an accurate test

 

Get two top cyclists and two identical tandems.
Build a cage to cover the chain rings on each tandem so that the riders can?t see what type of chain rings are being used.
Fit one tandem with normal 39, 53 standard chain rings and the other with q-rings of the same size.
Don?t let the riders in on the objective of the test, they might be biased.
Let the riders climb a hill of approximately two kilometers as fast as they can.
Use the ?old? stop watch (or more advanced timing equipment if available) and don?t make the times available to the rides until the test had been concluded.
Conduct the test over twelve days at the same time each day and let the riders use the other tandem every alternate day so that they don?t recognize a difference and can perform the same each day.

 

It would be interesting to compare the results of this test with the results of the power meter test.

 

Without this test the study would not be conclusive.

[Willehond]

 

Sean' date=' Sastre rides with Q-rings.  Won a stage, and if you haven't noticed: he's in yellow!!!

[/quote']

Will he be using them when he loses the tour on Saturday?

 

Perhaps MdK should offer Sastre a ride on the 555EXPRESS, and put Cancellara on the front of the tandem.......

 

 

Who's laughing now!!?

[WorcesterWheelers]

 

Sean' date=' Sastre rides with Q-rings.  Won a stage, and if you haven't noticed: he's in yellow!!!

[/quote']

Will he be using them when he loses the tour on Saturday?

 

Perhaps MdK should offer Sastre a ride on the 555EXPRESS, and put Cancellara on the front of the tandem.......

 

 

Who's laughing now!!?

 

ALL of us already riding Q-rings......

 

(my above comment was tounge in cheak referring to the debate surrounding tandems.....)

 

So it looks like q-rings not only work on tandems, but also on climbing and during TT's....

 

For the record:

I have Q-rings on my tandem, my TT bike, and as soon as I'm back in shape and able to ride the bigger 41T inner Campy chainring on my road bike, will put them back on the road bike too.

(Due to the BCD of Campy cranksets, the inner chainring is a bit bigger at 41T ave.)

[2 X 2]

The concept behind Q-Rings enables you to push an effective bigger gear while in the power down stroke when your leg muscles are able to apply more power and an effective smaller gear while in the dead-spots; while producing a smooth pedaling motion. Riders report that "it is like dancing up the hill."

 

And this is exactly why it's working better on a tandem, because of the higher power output.  I also think that Q rings works better for people that puch harder gears rather than spinning