"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Anyone here use Q-rings?

I was curious if anyone here uses Q-rings or similar oval cogsets? I have a freind who can't shut up about them, but I wanted other racers' input.

Do you like them? Do you feel a differerence? Do you feel that any improvement you've seen since adding them has resulted from the oval chainrings? Any caveats or other considerations?

Better yet, can anyone here cite sceintific studies on power putput related to implementing the oval chainrings?

thank you!
Ryon

they make oval cogsets?

they make oval cogsets?

OP meant chainrings...

yes, chainrings...

I rode Biopace rings when I first started in 1991, only because that was what came with the bike. What a load of crap they were. Proper pedaling action was nonexistent.

Round rings or bust.

I rode Biopace rings when I first started in 1991, only because that was what came with the bike. What a load of crap they were. Proper pedaling action was nonexistent.

Round rings or bust.

I had Biopace rings way back when as well. They were crap. I think the current round of oval rings is quite different but I'm not going to try them anytime soon. I think a few pros use(d) Q-rings for what that is worth. Bobby Julich was one.

Pez did an article on them

I think a few pros use(d) Q-rings for what that is worth. Bobby Julich was one.

Not to mention the guy that won the TdF last year.

I rode Biopace rings when I first started in 1991, only because that was what came with the bike. What a load of crap they were. Proper pedaling action was nonexistent.

Round rings or bust.

iirc, the biopace rings were the opposite phase as q rings. q rings are designed so that you minimize the force in the deadspot. i am still not sure what biopace rings were designed to do, but i don't think it is minimize the force at the deadspot.

to the op, i have a rotor little chainring. i like it enough to keep it on there. i may get the big chainring at some point.

I don't have the q rings, but all of my bikes have the rotor crank system that basically accelerates the ascending crank to elimitate the top dead center of the pedal stroke when one cannot apply any power to the cranks because of the crank orientation.
They are heavy: about an extra pound over top of the line carbon crank sets, and have more and smaller bearings which require more atention and probably have more friction than the larger 'outboard' bearing type of cranks. They are also probably not as stiff as the best cranks out there.
However, studies done in Spain show an increase of up to 18% in power output, and the amount of increase was proportional to the incline grade and inversely proportional to cadence, meaning they likely will help proportionally more for grinders than spinners.
The differences between the q rings and the Rotor RSX4 cranks set are mainly weight ( q rings are lighter) and cost ( cranks cost 700-1000). But also realize that whereas the crank set actually eliminates the dead spot, the rings only improve it ( that is the effective crank length during top and bottom dead center are smaller than at other times during the pedal stroke.

Julich used O-Symmetric rings.

Sastre (and RacerEx) use Q-Rings.

Marianne (sp?) Vos also uses Q-Rings.