Oval rings!

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[BrundanBianchi]

Welcome to 1988. ‘Biopace’ Halfords bikes all had them.

[gazza285]

Been in use for 130 years and the jury is still out.

[Macron]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Evolved]

Ovaltech crank, very 80’s.

[MetalMatters]

BrundanBianchi said:

Welcome to 1988. ‘Biopace’ Halfords bikes all had them.

Second post and the old Biopace comment rears it’s ugly head.

I’ve got an Absolute Black on my mtb, I rate them highly.

[alolympic]

I am now running oval on my xc bike, but not yet my gravel bike.
I went to oval to even out my stroke on steep off toad climbs where I was sometimes losing traction. I wanted to try oval rings to see if it helped me maintain traction with less of a stamping motion. It seems to have worked.
Riding the same xc bike on the road also feels good, in that I don’t notice it, and suffer no performance or injury problems.
I’d be happy to go oval on my gravel bike too, but don’t feel the need in the same way.

[gazza285]

MetalMatters said:

Second post and the old Biopace comment rears it’s ugly head.

Why not? They were, and probably still are, the most commercially successful oval ring.

[MetalMatters]

Because Biopace and the modern iteration of it are not the same.

[gazza285]

MetalMatters said:

Because Biopace and the modern iteration of it are not the same.

Same amount of snake oil involved...

[MetalMatters]

Not at all snake oil, Biopace was flawed, I don’t know how it ever got past the initial design stage.

[Mazinbrum]

I like them, I changed the small chainring to an oval absolute black to try it out and it was definitely smoother to pedal at low cadences up steep hills so ended up going full oval.

[gazza285]

MetalMatters said:

Not at all snake oil, Biopace was flawed, I don’t know how it ever got past the initial design stage.

Who says Biopace was flawed?

[Tony1963]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Maybe try pedalling instead?

[MetalMatters]

gazza285 said:

Who says Biopace was flawed?

Just about everything I’ve ever read about them, but if you know better and they work for you then carry on.

[MetalMatters]

Tony1963 said:

Maybe try pedalling instead?

Cock.

[gazza285]

MetalMatters said:

gazza285 said:

Who says Biopace was flawed?

Just about everything I’ve ever read about them, but if you know better and they work for you then carry on.

http://blog.artscyclery.com/general/shimanos-ill-fated-biopace-validated-in-university-study/

I’m quite happy with round chainrings, just like millions of other cyclists.

[MetalMatters]

gazza285 said:

http://blog.artscyclery.com/general/shimanos-ill-f...

I’m quite happy with round chainrings, just like millions of other cyclists.

Good for you.

[BrundanBianchi]

MetalMatters said:

Just about everything I’ve ever read about them, but if you know better and they work for you then carry on.

They were nearly right. The biggest problem was that the chains were a bit wk by today’s standards. I had three or four ‘racer bikes’ that used Biopace, and I quite liked them.

[fourfoldroot]

I fettled this into working condition two years ago with the intention of entering Eroica. I adjusted the position of the rings as advised by various forums. Seems to work fine to my inexperienced style.