Cedric Gracia on Oval Chainrings - Interview

Jun 27, 2016
by Richard Cunningham  

Cedric Gracia
Cedric Gracia and I spent the afternoon riding the trails near Laguna Beach, California, and talking about oval chainrings while he was between EWS races this Spring.


Cedric Gracia has been riding Rotor Q-Rings on his Santa Cruz EWS racing machines this season, and he has become quite a fan. To be fair, the Spanish component maker that popularized oval chainrings among elite-level racers is one of Gracia's sponsors - so I'd expect him to furnish me with an obligatory gush about their performance. He is a consummate professional, and plugging sponsors goes with the territory. That said, however, Gracia is at a place in his career where he can probably choose any crank or chainring combination he pleases and get paid to ride them, so when he went on about how much he liked his Q-Rings, I figured I'd better take notes.

Cedric Gracia Rotor cranks
Cracia runs a Rotor Rex 1 aluminum crankset and a QX 1 chainring. Three mounting positions on the chainring are used to time the rider's power-stroke with his or her riding position over the crankset, and to compensate for variations in leg kinematics.


RC: What is your present crank and chainring setup?

Cedric: For the first EWS I was riding with 32 QX1 chainring and 175-millimeter Rex 1 cranks, because I knew it will be a lot of climbing, and I would need all the help I could on those climbs. At Sea Otter, I put a 34 for the DH and Dual Slalom on my Hightower.

RC: What inspired you to try an oval chainring?

Cedric: I wanted to try out oval chainrings because I’d read and heard about stuff like better traction and faster acceleration – two things that are super useful to me. The fact that I can time my chainrings is an added edge, which I think everyone benefit from if they tried oval rings.


RC: How long did it take to get used to oval Q-rings? Did you perceive any benefits?

Cedric: Well, I expected at least a week or two, but at the end, after couple hours, I felt great on it. Like I say, the Q-Rings make me a better climber and my pedal stroke is a lot better and a lot more consistent.

RC: Q-rings have three sets of mounting holes for timing purposes. Which option did you settle upon?

Cedric: I ride with the third position. That's where I feel the best for my enduro style of riding. They’re called OCP and stand for Optimum Chainring Position which, as you mentioned, can be timed to the precise point at which you deliver maximum power during a pedal rotation.
Rotor pedaling diagram
Rotor has done extensive comparative testing to verify the attributes of ovalized chainrings. Torque measured at the crank axle shows that the round chainring (left) produces a more erratic pedaling stroke, while the oval Q-Ring (right) produces more consistent torque throughout the pedal circle (I did this comparison test and it produced similar results - RC).

RC: I understand that you are co-developing a new crankset with Rotor, can you tell us anything about it?

Cedric: Rotor has products in development all the time, but it’s up to them to make the info public. Rotor depends on athletes like me to test products in real time – to take testing out of the lab and onto the trail. I send them my results and recommendations for improving the products I’m testing - they have the option to take advantage of the data.

RC: What is the possibility that oval chainrings will go mainstream?

Cedric: Yes, I am sure. Who will not use free help? More power, better stoke, better climbing - it just makes you a better rider!




Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles

139 Comments
  • 172 10
 I'm waiting for the octagon ones.I am kinda spastic, so thinking it might help my flow a bit.
  • 4 3
 Haha!
  • 54 2
 You have a pedal stroke that only triangle rings could help.
  • 9 2
 Wait wait. What's up with that orange cap on the mallet E? Where's @crankbrothers? I summon you to answer.
  • 15 3
 I'd probably need a pear shaped one, like everything else!
  • 7 0
 Say what you want but I have used these on my TT and road bike. There is less of a 'wasted' space when pedaling. You are putting more power down without really trying. I never thought about these on an MTB but am now.
  • 6 2
 @jmhills: Just that it's a bitch to put a chain guide on one
  • 4 0
 @simooo: Very true. If you do not need a guard/ guide though, these oval rings are pretty fantastic.
  • 21 1
 @fr3er1d3r: Most of our clipless pedals use endcaps with the same thread pitch and dimensions. Cedric likes a bit of color pop and opted for the orange endcaps from the Candy 2 pedal.
  • 6 0
 oval rims and chainring!! that's the ticket
  • 6 0
 @simooo: This is a common misconception, you can easily use oval rings with chainguides. I've been using the combo all year without fail.

www.mrpbike.com/oval-ring-setup
  • 4 1
 For that chunky octagonal feel, just wait until SRAM bring out the 8-tooth sprocket on their 13x cassette in 2018.
  • 2 0
 @simooo: There are some guides for oval rings, i.e. 77designz or oneup components. But a "normal" guide also can work pretty well, as you only really need a guide when your cranks are in the horizontal position Wink
  • 6 0
 ... You get the same effect using a circular chainring with oval wheels.
  • 3 0
 @Worm-Burner: We tried that back in the 90s with the Shimano LX BileSpace wheelset.
But it turned out we had the wheels clocked the wrong way for optimal power.
  • 1 0
 @simooo: no it ain't !
  • 110 7
 "What inspired you to try oval Chainrings?"

"They approached me with cash because Im awesome, so i took it."


That could be my response if I was at his level of trail awesomeness.
  • 34 2
 I've been stoked with my OneUp Traction ring. It makes the rear tire stick like glue on steep low cadence climbs.
  • 13 1
 Yep. I use one on a hardtail and its brilliant!
  • 8 2
 low cadence, like standing climbing? ive actually found it gives less traction because it gves you more power on the downstroke, allowing the bike to brake traction

for me the major benefit is attacking a steep section of trail - as long as you maintain traction, it prevents those dead zones from slowing you down and getting the pedals rotated around for another downstroke. it felt like cheating the first time i used one
  • 20 14
 @xeren: no, that is entirely not true. You gain traction because you generate less power per covered distance. It's like starting a car on an uphill in winter. It is also easier to modulate power on a harder gear. Also huge piece of traction aspect is weight distribution over the bike. There are few spots on my trails where you need to downshift to be able to make them in wet.

Also attacking a section is not always the best option. If there are big rocks and roots you will be losing power and balance by just ramming into things. Then you run into the issue of rock strikes. After I started Ryan Leech's balance course, I started climbing in a very precise manner. Sprinting where needed, crawling up slowly where applicable. For that you need some good balance. Any idiot can spin fast into sht.
  • 4 1
 @WAKIdesigns:

yes, good advice for sure. try using a power meter (Stages or similar) and see your power output whilst climbing, very interesting / revealing...not what we may assume as mountain bikers tacking a technical climb
  • 7 6
 @hampsteadbandit: reading power meter for climbing through a rockgarden or a root ladder?
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I'm on the RL connection now as well (I wasn't when you first asked) so at this point I'm still ratcheting Smile . I get your statement on climbing in a heavier gear. At this time of year there is more than enough grip on the steeper climbs but by the time they become slimy again I hope to have progressed to the bits about technical climbing and clearing uphill obstacles (logs etc.). I'll see how it works out by then. For now, thanks for pointing me in the right direction Smile .
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: 34 oval for me and I enjoy it feels like I get a much better stroke . Never going back to O
  • 5 4
 @superbikes: i'm very tempted to go oval, but I bought Hope ranks and they don't make one yet.
@vinay - you will notice the benefits of Ryan's course rather quickly, when climbing rocky sections, that ramming into things when pedalling like a maniac is a waste of energy. It is much more efficient to use the whole body to propell yourself forward and allow the bike to roll onto stuff, help it to go over it, rather than fighting it, brainlessly spinning in hope you won't spin out or that your front won't wander off.
  • 1 1
 @WAKIdesigns: I switched to Absolute Black a few weeks ago, traction on technical climbs is rediculous. Cadence is a little finicky on the flats, though. I emailed Absolute Black about a month ago and they said they were 5-6 weeks from a Hope spiderless ring. I think you'd dig it!!
  • 7 5
 @RBWebb: I may as well ditch those cranks by this time. RAce Face BB92 bearings creak after a month of use. 30mm axle is not a good idea, since the ball diameter is very very small.
  • 5 1
 The offerings from OneUp and Absolute BLACK are a better deal and perform very well. I have employed the Absolute BLACK 32t oval ring for a year and half. It really is an eye-opener as to how well it works. At the same time, you'll never notice any weird pedaling sensations as you would expect from the looks of it. I had ran a 30t round ring prior and I am able to climb better more comfortably and with more speed than I ever have. Finally, while hard to quantify my legs do not feel nearly as burned up after a long ascent. Highly recommended.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Cool that the Ryan Leech course is coming up here. I checked it out a while back but didn't end up going for it. Might have to give it a shot.

Definitely agree that bashing into tech climbs is rarely the best way. Especially when I'm not on my hardtail, I notice that I'm more successful staying seated as much a possible, and generally only standing up shift weight to/from the back wheel, like when you need to hop/shove the bike over a ledge.

Actually quite a few people in my area have given oval rings a shot and are all raving about them now. I plan to try out one of the oneup rings sometime this season.
  • 3 0
 @hellbelly: I'm on A.B 34 oval love it ))) they say it gives the same top speed as a 36 round but it don't I tested it . Wish they did a 36 oval would love it
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: try the wheels mfg BB92. The threaded sleeve helps prevent the annoying BB creak. I've been running mine for a few months now and zero creaks.
  • 1 0
 @superbikes: CRC does 36 oval in 104BCD, or do you need 96BCD?

AB doesn't seem insanely expensive, might as well give it a shot. Could I just put it in the middle position of my (originally triple) Deore LX (2004) crankset, take the granny (and FD) off and leave the bashring on (in the outer position)? I noticed I need to replace my 9sp chain for a 10sp chain for this to work.

Superstarcomponents also has something cheap, but 32t only. I'm going to figure out what I have on my commuter, might work there as well Smile .
  • 1 0
 @vinay: cheers I need sram direct mount
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: on a standing climb, how am i generating less power? if the 32t oval ring is equivalent to 34t in the strongest part of the stroke, the ring is effectively pulling more chain when im putting down the most power
  • 2 2
 @xeren: if you press with same power on two different gears, you will generate less power per wheel revolution/covered distance on the harder gear, because each crank revolution will spread that power over longer distance thus you will find it easier to modulate that power thus you will get more grip. Go on a steep, loose gravel road and press as hard as you can on 42t rear and you will likely spin out, at least a bit, on each revolution. Downshift to let's say 28t rear and you can press as hard as you want and you will not spin out. Furthermore let's say you want to get over a 2ft tall step on a climb: 42t will not allow you to get over that effectively because you will need, let's say, two medal strokes to cover distance necessary to lift the front over it and then no platform to shift weight forward to lift the rear over it confortably. If you downshift to 36t, you'll do a mini wheelie that will comfortably take your front wheel over 3ft of distance and as the front rolls on you will be able to use the hard resistance of other crank arm to stay in balance and lift the rear. It's called 3/4 pedal stroke technique. Off course it is unrelated of gearing range, you basically need a gear hard enough to get you over things.
  • 1 0
 @xeren: except that if the strongest part of the stroke has a bigger chainring then you won't be stomping as fast, which means you're not "pulling more chain". Assuming your legs are outputting the same force, the oval ring will slow down your legs at the most powerful point. You're adding resistance so that your min and max force at the tire contact patch are closer to one another, making you LESS likely to break traction, not more. If the ring is giving you more power on the downstroke you have it mounted wrong.
  • 1 0
 @bkm303: that's why I'm so into trying one, many describe it as feeling of a prolongued pedal stroke. If I'm in the sweet-spot with 36t, should I get a 36t oval or 38t oval?
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I'm not currently running one so I'm not really sure. I'd probably stick with the same tooth count to start out with unless you're already spinning out your high gear. I'd kinda like to minimize the # of variables changing so I can make a good comparison. It probably won't matter too much though... you'll probably get strong enough to push the 38 pretty quick.
  • 1 0
 @bkm303: I'd allso like to add I first got my oval and used flat pedals I heard some say 9val works even better with spd shoes pedals and they was correct
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I went from a 30t round ring to a 32t oval.
No matter what they say the 32t was definitely a slightly harder gear. duh!
So if I liked a 36t round I'd probably stick with a 36t oval.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns:

yes technical challenges and all climbs requiring high sustained output, this can include uphill fire road with switchbacks ridden at pace (i.e.Mt Fromme, Vancouver)

difference between seated climbing and standing climbing very interesting looking at muscle firing, peak power, etc. all changes

>Researchers from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences had 10 cyclists perform rides to exhaustion at various percentages of their individual VO2max power (Wmax) on a 10-percent grade.

Based on the results they concluded that, "In general, cyclists may choose either the standing or seated position for maximization of performance at a submaximal intensity of 86 percent of Wmax, while the standing position should be used at intensities above 94 percent of Wmax and approaching 165 percent of Wmax."

(Note that Wmax corresponds roughly to the maximum power output sustainable for six minutes.)
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I agree with @acali. AB had a great tutorial on what size to buy based on what you currently ride. They were spot on with mine....
  • 1 0
 @acali: I currently run 32t round so I'd best start with 32t oval then.

I'd just go for Superstarcomponents then instead of AB. I just put on a new 9sp chain two weeks ago (and have another one spare) and AB requires at least a 10sp chain. Superstarcomponents happily runs a 9sp chain, just no 12sp. Anyone has experience with their chainrings? I've always been using stamped steel Deore middle rings (for 9 euro) so this would be my first 1x setup (currently 2x and a bashring) and more importantly, an aluminium chainring.
  • 27 1
 Shameless plug............but its Cedric so i sppse we can be thankful he atleast had pants on!
  • 25 3
 Bio pace was the exact opposite to current oval ones. That and they shifted bad in the age of triple rings. New oval options got it right. They are indeed an optimization.
  • 9 2
 Haha biopace remember that crap?
  • 6 1
 @weebleswobbles: Oh yeah, I had one on my 1989 ride.
  • 9 4
 What will they think of next... 3in tires?
  • 5 4
 @racecase: 2.8" and on an inch bigger rims. And half the weight of Gazzas.
  • 5 0
 Started working as a bike mechanic in 1987. Setting front derailleur height with those oval Bio pace rings was a chore. I rode those rings for a short stint as well, but didn't like them. They sucked all aROUND.
  • 2 2
 @weebleswobbles: I'm glad someone else remembers these. funny, it's so old it's new again.
Next I see Onza bar ends, long negative raked Stems and Porcupine tires making a comeback.
  • 3 2
 @ripinitup: I have to admit I had biopace on one of my first ever mtn bikes. A "nishitti" I mean nishiki. What a piece of crap that thing was fully rigid, with center pull caliper brakes, and bar ends as well..It ended up in a tree at my local high school after it got wrecked during a drunken weekend of debauchery
  • 13 0
 I'd rather ask Cedric about nite clubs and jello shooters.
  • 4 0
 Was never convinced, gimmick i thought, another ruse to get your money....... until i got one ! OneUp 34t traction ring suitable for XT M-8000... my initial interest was the OneUp 45t cassette expander, but included the oval ring in the order.. Climbing in all conditions is improved, and backed by better times.. but most noticeable is acceleration out of turns. The ability to pull a lower gear with constant power allows you to up and out of the tightest turn without spinning out... Yep, now i'm a fan :-)
  • 3 0
 I don't know about everyone else, but I use them because it helps with knee pain. I have rebuilt knees and I find much less pain from my oval rings. I didn't get them for any other reason. Maybe mumbo jumbo or all in my head but I guess that is all that matters
  • 8 2
 I just got a bright green absolute black oval and rode it up and down the street a bit and it feels awesome. ????
  • 1 0
 That was my exact feeling about a year ago when I first tried one, it didn't help it was a new bike and the first time riding it. Rode it up and down my street and thought wow, this thing wants to just go but in short bursts. You will most likely like it after you ride it. I now have a absolute black chainring as well in the same color as yours.
  • 7 0
 Strange, but I read his comments in his accent.
  • 8 1
 oval chainrings are coming back from the dead of the 90's!
  • 1 0
 I used Biopace in the early 90s, it sucked. I have Absolute Black rings now. Night and day. The timing of the oval makes a difference.
  • 7 1
 Send me 2 please, oh wait I got no money
  • 5 0
 being single in my 20s helped me improve me stroke... oh wait.
  • 1 0
 Yeah "these rings are magical & all that" says the guy everyone loves who's paid to say that. Ask him about his Crank Brothers pedals & I bet you get a similar answer. Then go have a look at the question period with CB on here & see if things line up. The NCBI tested these rings, they found no significant improvement. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3990898

What little improvement that did appear can't be discounted as due to another variable (psychological or other various physiological factors/differences). It may improve traction via more consistent torque, or even decrease fatigue if you're a pedal masher, but if you're a decent circle spinner then I doubt you gain anything & I also doubt power output changes at all really, at least for people who use a zillion gears. I wonder what it could do for an SS rig though. Ô.o
  • 1 0
 I dont see how this could possibly be beneficial. Everybody is going to have a difference force at different rotational points owing to your pedal style.. if you mash like a trooper (aussie DH style circa. 2004) or spin it up. You should smooth your style if there is such a change in power throughout the pedal stroke no? Surely this also creates problems with clutch derailleur setups?

Im having horible flashbacks to biopace roadies of the 90's.
  • 2 0
 Sponsored by Mavic, using an Enve in back. Sponsored by Panaracer, uses Maxxis. I guess it does mean something then that he is actually using Rotor cranks and rings. Haha.
  • 1 0
 I get the impression he doesn't give a f@$#.
  • 3 1
 Well some dude that wins the Tour de France uses oval rings. Wilder looking Osymetric rings. Oval rings seem to work better for me.
  • 1 0
 Ok, so if you now put the oval chainring back on, it is creaking again? ...it might be coming from the deraileur cage, try to lube it. ..with oval chainrings, there is small chain growth every pedal stroke.
  • 1 0
 Edit: this was a reply to another thread
  • 2 1
 My mom has an old cromoly steel fully rigid jamis from the mid 80's that had a triple crankset with oval chainrings...how is this new yet again?
  • 1 0
 Oval timing. Biopace is backwards, the new stuff is proper.
  • 2 0
 How much ovulation do they have. The wolf tooth has 10%, the oneup 12%. Ive been looking at them too.
  • 3 0
 I'm also interested in how "ovulation" can help with my "cycle"
  • 2 0
 @speed10: I think you have to rotate your ring daily; and don't ride if you miss a day... or something.
  • 1 0
 been running works components oval ring for a few months now, really pleased with the difference on the climbs and the extra power you can crank...
  • 7 4
 Loving my absolute black oval.
  • 2 0
 Although I am hooked on 27.5, that Hightower really is one nice looking 29er!
  • 6 6
 Oval rings should have been standard on bikes forever ago, it only makes sense that you would want a harder ratio during the power stroke, and an easier ratio when your cranks are vertical, and not producing any power.
  • 4 2
 Are they still effective if you ride flats? Or should I get back on my 26" bike and roll down a hill?
  • 1 0
 Even more effective with flats. I ride spd but find myself using a more "mashing" the pedal stroke at times with similar results and wondering why I haven't tried flats with them.
  • 1 0
 I LOVE them with flats. Yeah, you probably get more benefits from them with clips, but I felt an immediate difference with Absolute Black and flats.
  • 3 0
 Even Cedric gets "Twat Gap"!
  • 2 0
 Well, oval has been proven 3x in TdF now...there must be something to them.
  • 2 1
 Cedric spent the day riding with RC, LOL. I bet that made for an interesting day
  • 1 3
 Oval chain rings actually make a huge amount of sense, if positioned to have the 'longer' bits in line with the length of the cranks, then you're essentially getting the performance of a bigger chairing, with the ground clearance of a smaller one. Its actually pretty genius. But it'll likely require some fondling of your rear derailleur as it'll constantly be going back and forth with every peddle. Especially if they made a cog with a dramatic oval shape.
  • 4 0
 Fondle your own rear derailleur guy.
  • 1 0
 It's actually 90 degrees or so different than you're thinking. Bio pace may have been that way but with current ovals you actually loose ground clearance. The start of your power stroke is the start of the beginning of the oval where the chain is starting to wrap around the chainring.
  • 2 0
 They don't dick with your rear derailleur at all. You can even run these single speed, no problem. I know it seems like it would be an issue, but it isn't.
  • 1 0
 These have been around for many years...every so often they come back in fashion like neon and then they are gone again.
  • 1 0
 i recall these from years ago...biopace..shimano made..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopace
  • 5 6
 My absolute black chainring is great, and like Gracia it didn't take very long to get used to it.

About those pedals...does that say something good about Crankbrothers, or something bad about Cedric?
  • 9 1
 After that Q&A thing, criticism on CB is getting old. Everyone has enjoyed the opportunity to be rude safely behind their keyboard, fine. It is done now. These seem to be newer type CB pedals, apparently developed with a greater focus on quality and reliability. What possibly bad would this say about Cedric? What are you insinuating?
  • 1 1
 I have two Absolute Black ovals... on the same crank. I can't say I got a noticeable improvement, but I had to learn to ride them. As pointed on other posts, I was loosing traction as you have more torque at different points as normal rings. I have normal rings on my road bike. I can't say I prefer one or the other.
  • 1 3
 Now this kind of stuff could see me make the switch to a single front ring (currently still running 2x9 and bashguard on a 2004 crankset). It is usually these dead spots which limit how heavy of a gearing you can run so a chainring like this can keep help you get away with a smaller (cheaper, lighter) cassette in the rear. At first I thought the derailleur cage was going to be bigger but as the chain goes halfway around the chainring (hence covering a constant number of teeth), this won't be an issue. I really love this to take off big so that they (or AB, or someone else) can start making cheap elliptic rings out of stamped steel to put on everyday commuter bikes and kids' bikes. Kids typically have huge issues with these dead spots as apparently no one has ever figured out how to make shorter cranks.

I'm still a bit lost with all the science behind it. How does torque at the crank axle matter one bit? I absolutely get a constant torque at the rear wheel is going to help with traction on technical climbs. And as the cassette is (still) round, constant torque at the rear wheel requires constant force in the (upper part of the) chain. So I suppose you want that, constant force in the chain. But as the chainring isn't round, this doesn't relate to a constant torque at the crank axle. A round chainring would do that, but for a constant force in the chain you'd need a torque that oscillates along with the diameter of the chainring. And of course that's what you're doing when you're stomping on the pedals, you don't apply a constant torque at the crank axle but an oscillating torque instead. In short the concept of course thinks the other way around. The rider provides an oscillating torque at the crank axle (that's a given), hence we need a chainring with an oscillating diameter (that is, elliptical shape) to transfer that into a (more) constant force on the chain.

So if the performance of round vs. elliptical chainrings are to be compared, I was expecting the measurement of torque on the wheel axle (or force in the chain) to be related to the pedal stroke. Instead someone has kindly put in the effort to provide us with graphs of torque on the crank axle. Could anyone elaborate on why this matters and where my reasoning above might have gone wrong? Also for the comparison, were chainrings with an equal number of teeth used? It seems like the rider has been able to put more energy into the pedal stroke (the area enclosed by the blue line) with the circular chainring than with the elliptic chainring. Would that imply that on trail sections where traction isn't such an issue, you're faster with the round chainring? I don't mean to be skeptical, I just have a hard time figuring out how to work with something like torque on the crank axle if I don't know anything about the teeth count or diameters (short and long for that elliptical chainring). So I'd be happy if someone could clear this up for me.
  • 2 0
 I thought the same thing, but I think they're measuring a different torque than you're thinking of - imagine strain gauges mounted at 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock inside the crank axle, and parallel to the axis of rotation. These gauges would measure forces normal to the crank axle - which basically gives you a measure of chain tension/pedaling force (if the rider is standing then there would also be a static component for the rider's body weight). If you resolve the two measurements into a magnitude (sum of squares) and look at that value as the crank rotates, you'll essentially see the variation in chain tension via the moment the chain force is creating on the crank axle, which tells you how steady or unsteady the pedal stroke is.

Teeth count and diameter wouldn't matter too much in that case, because no matter the diameter or tooth count, chain tension is always in a plane normal to the crank's axis of rotation. And in any case, I think the idea is more to show that the variation between min/max is smaller/smoother than with circular rings, which provides obvious traction benefits. Getting a reliable baseline of effort levels between the two cases would make it tough to compare absolute power outputs between the two.
  • 1 0
 @bkm303: Thanks for the clarification. Silly to have to guess this really. It is a bit frustrating to get measurement results without knowing what's being measured exactly. But indeed if it is as you say then teeth count doesn't matter. In fact it probably matters more how much the bike tilts when pedaling, which you might be inclined to do if you have something heavier to stomp against.

I still believe traction is an issue you should probably be even less steady, burst where you can and unload where you have to. That said I still like it. I think of it more as a way that allows you to put in much force when you can and requires little when you can't. I'm calling for unicycles with oval wheels. Doesn't even have to be very oval as gravity is going to help you out of these dead spots.
  • 3 1
 Oval rings do not make you generate more power...
  • 3 1
 True. But I think they allow you to make better use of the power you have.
  • 1 0
 I think people are getting carried away with the benefits of these. I'm totally drunk on the oval koolaid, (The new stuff, not the crappy Biopace I had on my '89 Stumpy,) but it's not some wonder ring. It just sands the edges off. I climb better, slightly faster, and slightly easier with the Absolute Black chainring.

Added benefit, wheelies are easier. During a wheelie, the oval feels more round than a round ring.
  • 1 1
 Is this the new Shimano bio-pace crank? If you know what I am talking about you are probably at least 40. I remember when this oval crank set up was on every bike.
  • 2 0
 I had the same thought, until I tried it. I had Biopace back in the day. The timing of the oval makes all the difference. Listen, this isn't a revolution, it's just better. It's like using a dropper. I can still have fun on my bike without one, but I like it better with.
  • 1 0
 imagine this is actually completely satirical.
  • 1 0
 little typo at the footer of the photo: "Cracia runs a Rotor Rex...."
  • 2 1
 I have oval 3x7 on my 30 years old MTB.. it shifts like shit
  • 1 0
 Definitely sweeter with a 1x set-up, but some of the roadies are going 2x with ovals.
  • 2 1
 If i add more color to my kit will i ride more like you?
  • 2 1
 Hey, I remember Biopace! But it went away.
  • 2 0
 Well this is not the same, bio pace did not have the oval in the right area to be beneficial. I also remember bio pace but I so see these ovals sticking around. I have been using one for a little over a year now, and don't plan on removing it.
  • 2 1
 Waiting for the 26/27.5 oval wheels to come out..
  • 1 0
 Who cares about the ring... when can I get the Fly Racing gear?
  • 1 2
 Nah bro it's the shoes! I used to laugh at the oval chainrings at the bike graveyard in 1995. Now this.
  • 1 3
 I have used a B-labs 28t oval chainring during 500km. After that my bike started to creak hard. I changed with round chainring....no more creaking.
  • 7 1
 W H A T? ...I am 100% sure it isn't to do with the oval shape. Maybe bad bolts on the chainring?
  • 2 1
 @IluvRIDING: Good point Big Grin or 100 more different things - pedals, cleats, bolts, bottom bracket - overloaded radial bearings, dirt in cups....an sooo many others. Don't blame oval Smile
  • 1 0
 @IluvRIDING: I have try everything before I change the oval chainring....New BB, new HS, news bolts....
  • 2 0
 @Steve1979: Ok, so if you now put the oval chainring back on, it is creaking again? ...it might be coming from the deraileur cage, try to lube it. ..with oval chainrings, there is small chain growth every pedal stroke.
  • 1 0
 @IluvRIDING: Thanks for your advise. It's possible that the creak coming from the rear derailleur. I have try to lube it but no success...maybe I don't lube correctly my X1 rear derailleur....you think I need to lube the clutcher v2.1 ?
  • 1 0
 @Steve1979: clutch need maintenance, oval or not. Mostly a quick lube with grease.
  • 1 0
 @Steve1979: Sometimes you just need to clean quick release and derailleur hanger (bolts and contact surface between hanger and frame). In my case all weird noises were caused by dirty or loose hanger. You can use some blue Locktite 243 and Chainring Nut Wrench to fix the bolt. Good luck!
  • 7 7
 Poor Cedric. Ugly as well.
  • 15 0
 he doe$n't $eem to mind them.
  • 4 5
 1990 is calling......
  • 1 0
 No, it isn't. I rode Biopace, it was shit. This is different.
  • 1 0
 @SirLapLack: judging by the bike industry and it's typical lack of innovation I am not holding my breath....
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