Q Rings, benefit?

PLuKE

Hi folks.

I have been looking at the Rotor Q Rings. I have been doing some research about them and I would like to try them for myself.

Now 90% of my riding routes are done on the front big ring, as there are only a few short hills.

Thus meaning I would buy the 50T chainring as I feel that would make the most benefit?

Or would the 34T help a lot more on my small climbs?

Luke

JackPozzi

I've tried a Q ring on my TT bike and didn't really notice much difference other than being a pig to setup. Have heard that to get any advantage from them it's best to train on normal rings and save the Q rings for racing though.

PLuKE

Thank you for the reply.

Looking at the videos, some look a pain, the QL rings to be exact. But I would try the orginal Q Rings.

I don't do races, so would be a permeant fixture. There not a cheap outlay either, so would like to see some improvements?!

Luke

sloppyschleckonds

Snake oil

janesy

I think they work, some say snake oil. My power meter readings say good, legs say good & brain says good.
I've been running qrings 52/36 for about a year now, just waiting until my QXL are delivered.

PLuKE

janesy wrote:

I think they work, some say snake oil. My power meter readings say good, legs say good & brain says good.
I've been running qrings 52/36 for about a year now, just waiting until my QXL are delivered.

Cool, it does seem a mixed bag of results. If you could keep me posted once you have used the QXL rings, the one thing that puts me off the QXL, setup!

Luke

LegendLust

JackPozzi wrote:

I've tried a Q ring on my TT bike and didn't really notice much difference other than being a pig to setup. Have heard that to get any advantage from them it's best to train on normal rings and save the Q rings for racing though.

Who's said that? The way to benefit from Q rings is to use them all the time - training and racing

cougie

Save the money and put it towards a turbo and a trainerroad program. That will work - the jury is out on q rings.

JackPozzi

LegendLust wrote:

JackPozzi wrote:

I've tried a Q ring on my TT bike and didn't really notice much difference other than being a pig to setup. Have heard that to get any advantage from them it's best to train on normal rings and save the Q rings for racing though.

Who's said that? The way to benefit from Q rings is to use them all the time - training and racing

The rotor rep at a bike show several years ago amongst others....

keezx

These rings look fast on some bikes.

iPete

If you carry your money around the old fashioned way, this will make you much lighter else I can't see a benefit beyond being bling.

cycleclinic

Look fast?

non round chainrings have been around since the 1890's. Bicycle science ed 3 goes into some detail on these. There is next to no good research to demonstrate benefits and mostly is a solution in search of a problem. The idea is fine in theory but out on the road I am not sure it makes any difference. If Rotor thinks it does make a difference they should write a paper and publish it in a physics journal for peer review.

undapressure

Q rings don't feel that different to round rings when you start on them but when you go back to round rings you feel like you're pedalling squares! I don't really notice any benefit from the Q rings though.

QXL are a different story though, they do feel really different to anything else and feel non-round when pedalling. I've been riding them for a month or so and they take some getting used to. They are great for short sharp hills and fast flat riding but a bit of a drag on longer climbs. They do leave your legs sore after using them whilst still adjusting to them.

DKay

thecycleclinic wrote:

If Rotor thinks it does make a difference they should write a paper and publish it in a physics journal for peer review.

http://pelotonmagazine.com/pages/from-i ... lo-motion/

janesy

interesting first ride, going to change to ocp#2 tomorrow.
feel way different from qrings.
will update in a few days.

smoggysteve

The thing that makes me wonder about their effectiveness is; if they were that good, what don't more pro cyclists use them?

Chris Froome aside, I struggle to think of another pro using them. I would assume they are most effective in TT and yet Wiggo no longer uses them. Tony Martin or Cancellara do not. I would think that any benefit may be more psychological than mechanical.

janesy

sponsorship! why do sky use stages power meters? they think stages are good? lol

Wily-Quixote

DKay wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

If Rotor thinks it does make a difference they should write a paper and publish it in a physics journal for peer review.

http://pelotonmagazine.com/pages/from-i ... lo-motion/

before you get too excited, the study is not as definitive as the peleton magazine article would suggest.
For a start the study was on 8 subjects, the study only examined the 1km time trial as a benchmark and the study was over 6 weeks. And it was one study only.

By all means part with 100 quid but don't think for a minute that the it is 'scientifically proven' to boost your performance by 1%, 100% of the time. Although rotor would like you to think so.

undapressure

Wily-Quixote wrote:

don't think for a minute that the it is 'scientifically proven' to boost your performance by 1%, 100% of the time. Although rotor would like you to think so.

100% agree with this. Have been on Q-rings for the last 6 months and have no noticeable increase in power or speed, sometimes I actually feel like I get more power from my round rings. What you do notice is the smoother pedalling action you get with the Q-rings, the dead spot is far more noticeable and pedalling feels more 'choppy' when I go back to round rings.

QXL rings do feel slightly more powerful when riding but they can be a drag on longer, gradual climbs, great for short steep climbs though

Wily-Quixote

undapressure wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

don't think for a minute that the it is 'scientifically proven' to boost your performance by 1%, 100% of the time. Although rotor would like you to think so.

100% agree with this. Have been on Q-rings for the last 6 months and have no noticeable increase in power or speed, sometimes I actually feel like I get more power from my round rings. What you do notice is the smoother pedalling action you get with the Q-rings, the dead spot is far more noticeable and pedalling feels more 'choppy' when I go back to round rings.

QXL rings do feel slightly more powerful when riding but they can be a drag on longer, gradual climbs, great for short steep climbs though

BTW, I'm not arguing that round chainrings are better - they might not be; just that claims of Q-ring superpowers are marketing fabulohype at this stage.
It's interesting that your pedalling action feels smoother, or maybe you're just biomechanically adapted to your new chainrings . Either way, I'm curious as to the long term benefits of using eccentric chainrings.

cswitch

In answer to the Ops question Id go 52/36 or 38 (38 will possibly shift better). Mixing no and oval rings could be a shifting disaster but worth a try, nothing to loose as if it is shifting badly you can get a single inner from velotech.

I've used q rings for several years. Initially I thought they were great but recently ditched them for good. Ive ditched them before but always gone back after a 2-3 weeks as felt slow, achey legs etc. However this time I gave them a good few weeks on them and after fully reversing any adaption to q rings I'm very glad to be back to round rings. No more faffing around with constantly tweaking them and I'm certainly no slower. After a couple of 2nd fastest times on my very well ridden strava segments I really don't think there is a benefit.
First ride or two on the rollers pedalling action was choppy but now its back to pedalling smooth circles - no noticeable difference in pedal smoothness once re-adjusted. I still have a set of 52/38 q rings available check under the classifieds under my name for more details or PM, please don't post here as I don't wish to gatecrash the OP's post.
I was going to leave the QXLs on the TT bike but actually thinking of ditching them too.

For those finding power increases be aware most pms artificially raise power readings.

StillGoing

Got them on both road bikes and for me they work. Took me no time adjusting to them and got on with them straight away. Set up is a doddle too. Remove your existing rings, stick the Q rings on, raise your front derailleur and away you go. There'll always be doubters and those screaming snake oil, but enough of the pro-Peloton use them to support the view of amateur cyclists.

http://youtu.be/3fBVkkPgwyg

cswitch

...and one could argue enough of the pro peloton don't ride them to suggest they don't provide benefit. Lets not forget a good number riding on them are riding what they've been given to ride, and the teams paid to ride them. And Wiggins won the world champs on round - life after osymetric. Still I think its worth trying them out if your'e looking for an edge, everyones different and some may indeed benefit. Personal experience says they dont for me. I did think they were beneficial...maybe my pedal stroke was crap and they helped that way but these days I'm pretty sure they offer me no benefit.

Set up isnt so easy on every bike. I've had them on numerous bikes and some work well with them and some not so.

StillGoing

cswitch wrote:

...and one could argue enough of the pro peloton don't ride them to suggest they don't provide benefit. Lets not forget a good number riding on them are riding what they've been given to ride, and the teams paid to ride them. And Wiggins won the world champs on round - life after osymetric. Still I think its worth trying them out if your'e looking for an edge, everyones different and some may indeed benefit. Personal experience says they dont for me. I did think they were beneficial...maybe my pedal stroke was crap and they helped that way but these days I'm pretty sure they offer me no benefit.

Set up isnt so easy on every bike. I've had them on numerous bikes and some work well with them and some not so.

Froome isn't sponsored by Rotor or Osymetrics but uses them. Of the teams that do use them, the riders who don't benefit from them use non-ovals supplied by the same company. It therefore isn't a case of they ride what the sponsor gives them. Arguing that most of the Peloton don't us them means they don't work implies nothing. What I have posted simply shows that some Pro riders do see a benefit from them and choose to use them. Watch the video.

cswitch

Exactly and seems to me you've also discredited your own comment. I think you're missing my point - the point about 'enough' pro's use them does not support anything. The fact that many pros do not use them also does not support anything. They're pointless statements. As I said maybe worth trying but for me (and I've used them for years and lots of training & racing data on both round and oval) they don't make me faster...they do make my powermeter tell me I'm churning out more watts...I'm just not going faster...plenty of reports about inflated numbers on oval rings. Probably why 'amateurs' like them including those with not so great pedalling technique - IME they certainly help to smooth out a choppy pedalling action. However q rings aren't the only way to address that.

StillGoing

cswitch wrote:

Exactly and seems to me you've also discredited your own comment. I think you're missing my point - the point about 'enough' pro's use them does not support anything. The fact that many pros do not use them also does not support anything. They're pointless statements. As I said maybe worth trying but for me (and I've used them for years and lots of training & racing data on both round and oval) they don't make me faster...they do make my powermeter tell me I'm churning out more watts...I'm just not going faster...plenty of reports about inflated numbers on oval rings. Probably why 'amateurs' like them including those with not so great pedalling technique - IME they certainly help to smooth out a choppy pedalling action. However q rings aren't the only way to address that.

Hardly pointless when a rider who isn't sponsored or contracted to use them actually chooses to use them such as Froome. A Pro is not going to use something they find no benefit from so even the riders in the teams sponsored by Rotor or Osymetrics have the option to use them or not. There's certainly nothing wrong with my pedalling technique and I doubt that Froome has either. Try watching the video where he expresses his surprise that more riders aren't using them.

cougie

You also see pros wearing power balance wristbands. Harnessing the power of the hologram....