Oval chainring?

[Archie_tect]

Depends if you believe in them or not

Anything's possible these days.

 

[Sharky]

Would you like to buy some L-shaped cranks?

You would never convince top class riders to use L-shaped cranks

 

[Ajax Bay]

team Sky, or Ineos, or whatever they are calling themselves nowadays still have access to the oval chainring technology, but they seem to be struggling on the medal front at the moment regardless....

[OT] Had the idea that a stage race in Italy recently went OK (as in 'medal front') for that team 'whatever they're called', and again I have this vague idea that they had some success in last month's multi-day race in Spain. All without oval chainrings, however (assumed).

 

[fossyant]

That is a different issue - an assymetric shape. Oval rings should be symmetric.

I thought MTB's nowadays took the lift to the top of the trail and freewheeled down anyway?

Lots do !

 

[DCLane]

My 16yo has the Absolute Black ones on his training bike and his TT bike came with Roval ones. We had the absolute black rings on Zwift over the Spring so I got to try them as well and had a go on the road with them.

Did they work? Well they look nice. I can tell the difference going uphill a bit, but that's all. And moving from ovals back to round feels wierd for a bit. He's not noticed much of a difference.

 

[ColinJ]

I had Shimano Biopace rings on my bike in 1989, and IIRC the bulges were out of step with where they would make sense! (I.e. it was easier to pedal where I could apply more force and harder to pedal where I couldn't!)

And moving from ovals back to round feels wierd for a bit.

I had the same thing with Biopace. They felt really weird for a short while but I soon got used to them, but then it felt odd when I changed back to round rings.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Ovals are great for lower speed technical climbs on MTBs where they help smooth the power delivery to the rear wheel. 90% of the time I can't tell the difference between round and oval. It's only on steeper rougher climbs where the 'pulsing' power delivery of a round ring is noticeable over that of the smoother oval

I've got ovals on both my MTBs, but will keep the round rings on my road bikes and I'm undecided on my gravel bike

 

[postman]

Late 80's when bought my first proper bike.A Raleigh Triathalon,custard yellow.105 Brakes and gears with bio pace chainring.What a bike.