Julich's chain ring....
 

Did anybody watch the OLN coverage of the Criterium International? Did anybody notice the Bobby Julich was riding some sort of updated bio-pace chainrings?

I thought they went out in the 80's.... Anybody have any info on them?

check out cyclingnews.com. they did a piece on his bike.

For the lazy here's the linkage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2005...ch_csc_cervelo

Or for the really lazy...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=92830

julich is my new hero :o

Julich is on fire!!! I hope he doesn't peak too early before the TDF. Should be quite a show with him helping out Basso.

Can't wait until next week when OLN airs the Flanders race and shows Lance working for George.

I agree with Phil and Bob. Julich is having an awesome season.

At this rate the dude making those chainrings is going to be working some very late nights as the orders roll in :)

julich has been riding that for awhile, it's an OSymetric or somethin'

I read an interview where he said he had sinclair or some other distributor buy the remaining stock before the company folded

I love the chainrings. I have the old Saeko 'Ovaltech' C/Rings on my TT bike and I think they work well, for me anyway. I also like the intergrated number holder. About time. In an age where putting people on the moon is old science we are still using safety pins for race numbers. Struth! Why dont the ride shirt makers build something into the shirt???? First one to do it will get my business.

Anybody else notice how the chain really flops off of the bottom of the chainring? Weird. To each his own I guess.

There is still a following of people still using OvalTech and BioPace chainrings. I always can find someone that wants them when I come across some. BJ's OSH rings are more eggshaped. I'm not sure that they are for everybody. Due to BJ's success you may see them on bikes at club and training rides. Then the I love em' or I hate em' or I can't tell the difference post will appear.
There are also RotorCranks which do away with, theoretically, the dead spot. The are made in Spain and I believe you might see some on the pro's bikes this year. Interesting concept. www.rotorcrank.com expensive, especially the Ti ones.

My understanding is that the Osymetric Rings are ovalized 90 offset
(relative to crankarm) from the Biopace or ovaltech designs.
Reportedly avoids the problems that they had.
Whatever it is, it sure seems to be working for Bobby J.

Marty

Biopace and Ovaltech are two different aproaches to the same percieved conflict, Biopace having the largest dia at the crank where Ovaltech has it at 90deg to the crank. I've ridden both and I like the latter best.

BJ cranked that osymetric in the TT to the win...beyond everyone's expectations...pretty awesome. I'm glad to see BJ get there after last couple of years. Bjarne Riis saw the potential...congrats to BJ and Team CSC getting 4 of top 10 in GC at CI.

You think there's any internal debate on Team CSC on who should be in lead role at TdF? BJ vs. IB???

1-Bobby J. is a better time trialer than Basso
2-Basso is putting alot of his energy and focus into the Giro
3-Bobby J. is in great form...and seems to be getting better at TT'ing as he gets older

If Bobby J. comes into the Tour with his best climbing legs...then surely he could be a CSC wild card for the GC. If Armstrong faulters...then it's anybody's Tour...just as it was the year Indurain cracked and Riis won it('96).

Great win for julich, I hope his great form continues.
I used Biopace years ago for quite some time. I only noticed a slight difference, spinning in the small ring uphill.

what nobody has mentioned in any of the Criterium threads is that
team CSC took the top 3 positions in the TT.
That is impressive.

Marty

Re/ovaltech and Biopace, seems like the big rings were round, or nearly so, with more eccentricity on the smaller rings. In any case, it seems like it would make for some funky front shifting.

how do you get into the big chianring?

It probably shifts easily. It shifts during the flat part.

The large ring on both Biopace and Ovaltech are ecentric. They shift perfectly ok probably a tad better than concentric rings. I seem to be able to push bigger gears on my biopace equiped TT bike. Not sure if it's the rings, the bike or the setup but I'm very comfortable on 53/12 on the flat.

I was checking out the web site for these chain rings and was kind of surprised to not see them available in 39/53. They look really cool but at $258 US, assuming I did the conversion correctly, they're too expensive for me to try.