Originally Posted by
terrymorse
Gimmick that comes and goes about every 20 years.
It's a 20-year elipitcal cycle.
My 1984 Nishiki International came with them. I replaced the smaller front ring with an even smaller round ring. I shift between the two and don't notice any difference, nor am I aware of anything different from my other two round-ring bikes. But that's not to say the oval rings make no difference, it's just that I don;t notice one.