Professional Cycling For the Fans - Biopace? (Stage 13 spoiler)

Did anyone else notice when Phil and Paul were talking about Haussler's eliptical chainring? I thought Shimano gave up the "biopace" ring over a decade ago. Which legit company(s) are still making them, and is there research to back up their effectiveness?

Haussler sure gave some good advertising with his performance today!

Did anyone else notice when Phil and Paul were talking about Haussler's eliptical chainring? I thought Shimano gave up the "biopace" ring over a decade ago. Which legit company(s) are still making them, and is there research to back up their effectiveness?

Haussler sure gave some good advertising with his performance today!


O.Symetric Harmonic elliptical chainrings... which are not biopace but "ovaltech"

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/2005/probikes/?id=julich_csc_cervelo

ed rader

Yeah, Biopace is dead. IIRC the newer elliptical chainrings have the opposite design as the Biopace.

Bobby Julich and a few other people used them for awhile. But really, I don't think that Haussler's performance was really all that influenced by the shape of his chainrings....

Shimano recently bought a company that makes "non-round" chainrings. I believe that the profile is adjustable for what you are riding (obviously not during a ride).

But really, I don't think that Haussler's performance was really all that influenced by the shape of his chainrings....

Certainly not, I was just surprrised to hear them mentioned at all!

Rotor makes eliptical rings. The Cervelo test team is using Rotor cranks, but I'm not sure if all the riders are using the eliptical rings or not.

This photo I found of Haussler's crank shows the rotor rings on a FSA crank... don't know what he was using today.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/imageBank/h/Haussler-cranks.jpg

Rotor makes eliptical rings. The Cervelo test team is using Rotor cranks, but I'm not sure if all the riders are using the eliptical rings or not.

This photo I found of Haussler's crank shows the rotor rings on a FSA crank... don't know what he was using today.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/imageBank/h/Haussler-cranks.jpg

I thought Sastre used the oval rings?

I thought Sastre used the oval rings?

I think many on the team do since they are sponsored by Rotor... The article I got that picture from said it was Haussler's bike.

O.Symetric Harmonic elliptical chainrings... which are not biopace but "ovaltech"

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/2005/probikes/?id=julich_csc_cervelo

ed rader

Highpath over in the UK is another company that makes elliptical rings.

Rotor makes eliptical rings. The Cervelo test team is using Rotor cranks, but I'm not sure if all the riders are using the eliptical rings or not.

This photo I found of Haussler's crank shows the rotor rings on a FSA crank... don't know what he was using today.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/imageBank/h/Haussler-cranks.jpg

The Rotor rings that have been on the market are designed with holes at 130 or 110 mm bcd.
They are lighter and less expensive than the Rotor cranks, you can adjust your orientation on Shimano compatible cranks. The rings in the above pic are on FSA cranks.

The Rotor cranks have a cam inside that gives an effective lower gear on the upstroke and an effective higher gear on the downstroke. The left and right arms are only 180 degrees apart when the cranks are near horizontal. You don't have a true deadspot since both arms are never vertical simultaneously.

The Rotorcranks are quite popular in the recumbent and triathlon world.
The Rotorcranks have I believe a 112 or 114 BCD 4 hole pattern, though I suppose they could have made some eliptical rings to fit their cranks-but the crank already does more than the eliptical rings but at weight cost. Might as well go with the round easy shifting rings if you are already carrying the weight.

www.rotorcranks.com

http://www.rotorbike.com/nueva/ingles/road_rotor_rs4x.htm
Note the video on the rs4x and the crank arm angles.

Pretty sure the rotor cranks they were using lie the agilis were regular cranks just with oval rings.

Yeah they don't even market that contraption for road use. Just triathlon and MTB use.

Yeah they don't even market that contraption for road use. Just triathlon and MTB use.

They were several years ago-particularly time trial.
Their still marketting them for recumbents.

Did anyone else notice when Phil and Paul were talking about Haussler's eliptical chainring? I thought Shimano gave up the "biopace" ring over a decade ago. Which legit company(s) are still making them, and is there research to back up their effectiveness?

Haussler sure gave some good advertising with his performance today!

The "research" that counts is how many wins pros get using these. Then it doesn't matter how many graphs and data sheets you have.

The "research" that counts is how many wins pros get using these. Then it doesn't matter how many graphs and data sheets you have.
Not true at all. You're saying whatever makes the pro's win is good for the general cycling community? Great, well get my some EPO while we're at it!

That said, anyone know why Hushovd's bike has DA 7800?

Not true at all. You're saying whatever makes the pro's win is good for the general cycling community? Great, well get my some EPO while we're at it!

That said, anyone know why Hushovd's bike has DA 7800?

It should have been obvious I was talking about bicycle hardware..but you've managed to drag drugs into the discussion. And no, I didn't say that the latest technology is good for the "general cycling community".

I simply said if enough pros win using a new piece of equipment (bicycle hardware), then it will be successful in the marketplace. It will sell, whether that's good, bad or indifferent is a matter of opinion.

Obvious? Hardly, we were talking about performance enhancement items, and drugs certainly fall in that category.

At any rate, did you guys catch Wiggins' big ring today? That thing was super elliptical, seemed much moreso than these q-rotor rings

I saw that, and was planning to revive this thread. Beat me to it! It certainly was prononounced.