I didn't go into much detail as to why I chose Absolute black chainrings in my initial post. I know oval chainrings have been around for a long, long time, even well before Shimano Biopace rings. The current generation of oval rings, by various manufacturers such as Rotor, Wolf, Osymetric, as well as Absoluteblack, have evaluated the degree of "ovalness" and the timing and amount of the change during the crank arm rotation.

It seems from my reading that Absoluteblack had done some significant research before developing the shape and timing of the rings and it varies by ring size. Believe me, I am not trying to be an advocate for Absoluteblack or a fanboy. With the crap weather we have been having in New England since installing the ring, I have not been able (wanting) to ride. Low 40 s F with occasional snow flurries is not my thing. So at this point, I can have no subjective or objective evaluation.

As I said in my initial post, I chose Absoluteblack for the research and reviews I read online and because they look most like "normal" chainrings and don't upset my sense of aesthetics. Will update, either positive or negative, as the miles accrue. I don't have much invested in this experiment. Can, and will, switch back to the SRAM 42t ring if there is a negative impact. Will keep if I feel a positive change (obviously) or no difference.