The first 100 was a pleasant surprise. As has been stated by some other users I didn’t feel any faster until I noticed I was operating one cog smaller then usual. I also found it was a little easier to stay down on the aerobars while climbing. Usually, this late in the season I race my tried-and-true set up but, since the training rides have gone so smoothly, I’m breaking with (my) tradition and planning on running the Q-Rings in a 12 hour TT coming up September 8th.
There is an interference problem as noted in the Q-Ring Q&A but paying attenion to the front derailier position it minimized the noise. It’s just that the chain starts rubbing on the front der cross bar about 3 cogs down from the big cog which is not a problem until somewhere between 4 & 5. Consider it is a reminder to get into the small ring. There is a mechanical solution to this and there are some front derailier bits and pieces lurking in the back of my parts drawer wishing that they had been born into the blueblooded Campy world where nobody in their right mind would consider the off season tortures I’m about to inflict on these Shimano parts.
Also, at about 3:00 am, Sunday morning I became very aware of the different quad muscles being recruited… but the good news was that 4 hours later I cranked out another 40 miles without any problems.
thanks, good report. my only comment is that guidance from rotor about the critical position placement of the innner ring is not very helpful. their guidance seems to overlook some essential items about the inner q-ring.
yeah, but the dots on the inner ring are not inscribed in the same positions as the dots on the outer ring. and then to add on to that, the position of the inner ring should be quite different that of the outer ring, not due to riding style, but due to frame geometry differences.
I’ve always toyed with the idea of Q-rings for my backup road bike, but not taken the plunge yet. The big reason is that all my other bikes have Rotor Cranks. Really, if you like the Q-rings, try the Rotor Cranks. They are totally awesome. Zero dead spot, you crank away without thinking about pedal stroke technique, and its one cog better then regular cranks. Definately faster then regular cranks.
I keep reading the reviews about the Q-rings and will still opt for the RC’s since they have all the same benefits plus some.
I was a cyclist for 13 years before I changed all my bikes to RC’s. Before the RC’s I worked on my pedal stroke for countless 100’s of hours on the road. I was tested and found to have a very effeicent, even (side to side) pedal stroke. I was “near” the top of my age group in bike splits. With the RC’s I moved to the top of my age group, save for the monster former pros ; ) and there’s lots of them in the 50-54 age group.
I’ll have to say that the RC’s, and maybe the Q-rings, are more likely to benefit a cyclist with a good or better pedaling stroke. A square stroke is a square stroke no matter what the cranks say or do.
I guess I would fit the bill of a BOPer having been honored with the equivlent of the Lanterne Rouge (a red bobble head clown) several years ago… However if the Q-Rings overcome an age old pedaling deficiency (not) and I am continuing to improve, at the age of 56, I would have consider my investment in Q-Rings money well spent.
Zipp, I have used Rotors, and liked them…about one rear cog better, as many have reported. But, I put some Q rings on a bike, and I actually like the rings better! The reason: with Rotors, it’s hard for me to pull up fast enough on the upstroke to at least totally unweight the rising pedal, with Rings, I feel I’m able to better utilize the upstroke since the upstroke isn’t sped up. I know, I know, some say the upstroke is pointless; and that upstroke doesn’t add power. Whatever. I was pleasantly surprised that I like the Rings better than I thought I would.
Hey, what about putting Rings on Rotors? B~)
I bet someone’s already tried it…wonder how it went?
I have a feeling that it you worked really hard you could get a set of Q rings to completely offset the benefits of the RC setup.
I keep toying w/ the idea of getting a set, but feel that having them on 1 bike wouldn’t be good if I switch back & forth.
However, their end of year sale certainly made me sit up & notice (I think I even put them in a shopping cart more than once).
I’d like to see a comparison of Q rings v. O.Symmetric. I believe I read somewhere the “technical papers” on the two, but real world experience would be interesting.
Yeah, I haven’t seen much about the muscle soreness, I searched, but the first two weeks take some adaptation. It took about 2 long rides to get used to the pedal stroke and where I’m more efficient but after that everythings OK. This could just be me talking out of my ass, but it seems like they make you want have a lower cadence but are more effiecient at higher cadence if that makes any sense. The derailleur took some adjustment but actually shifts better now than the FSA rings that were on my bike.
As far as any improvement, eh, thats hard to tell after 4 weeks. Did my first TT test with them this weekend but it was windy/gusty so I’m not sure how much I can use the results for a comparison.
For a guy as sciency as you, all we get is that it feels faster and you’re in the next smaller cog? Are you actually riding faster - same rpm, but one cog smaller - or are you going just as fast as round rings only turning less rpm? Or - Horrors - slower, because your spin is less than the break even point?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Thanks again for the call the other night, it was much appreciated. After Susan returned from her walk and I told her that you had called she was disappointed that she hadn’t been here to say hello.
Ivan
I’m going to have to do a 10 mile TT to bear that one out but, initially, based on the average speed I am a bit (tiny) faster. I’ll have a bit better feel for any changes after the 12 hour. But, unfortunately, that is comparing it to an event from 15 years ago. By the end of October I should have enough training information to measure changes.
I’ve been riding the RC’s for about 3 years now. I find NO problem when riding my one bike without RC’s. I can barely tell any differnce anymore. When I first started using the RC’s I could tell a difference when I rode the DA cranks. I’m not sure how this happened but I can no longer “feel” a difference. Ya…maybe in the first 1/2 mile…but without a thought…I switch over very quickly on a ride.
I like the Q-rings a lot. I’m not about to claim I’m any faster with them – I don’t think I am. But, they feel different and I like the way they feel. More smooth at the upper end of my cadence range.
The BCD (bolt pattern) on the RS4X Rotor Crankset does not match any production Q-Ring patterns we manufacture, however there really would be no point to installing Q-Rings on a RS4X as the RS4X eliminated the dead spot completely … while Q-Rings work to minimize time spent in the dead spot.
We are working on a Q-Ring fixed gear product for the track, although right now it is a one-off solution for a world class kilo specialist.
But I am working on filling my loose change jar… maybe in the spring.