So what is the overall opinion on Rotor Cranks? If they do produce the increased power output as claimed, wouldn’t everyone be using them? I see more and more triathletes using Q-rings, but the rotor cranks haven’t caught on. Are they on the way out?
first off search the forum as there were some lively threads in the past.
personally i’ve ridden rotors on my mtn bike and still ride Q-rings on my TT bike. Rotors made me climb steep stuff like a mtn goad, ride technical sections smoother and well yeah, went up hills like a rocket. That being said they seem a bit more suited to lower cadence “masher” type pedals strokes which just wasn’t me and I just never got used to them all that well on the flats. If every race I did was a hill climb they’d be back on the bike(s) in an instant but for my personaly pedalling style and riding they just weren’t optima. However I’ve found the Q-rings are a very very happy medium and love them on my bikes.
I’ve had a few friends who are more the medal masher lower cadence type put rotors on their bikes and subsequently dropped minutes, literally minutes off their 40K time overinight… others, typically long time roadies with pretty good pedal strokes tried them and ditched them fairly quickly. Q-rings seem to be popping up everywhere on my friend’s bikes lately. At least I can say that I’m pretty sure I was the first one in these parts to sport a pair;)
so again if:
-you’re a lower cadence, pedal masher type rider, possibly a larger more muscular rider or you ride a ton of steep hills then rotors are SaWeEt!
-high cadence, pretty efficient and pretty road pedal stroke, smaller rider who spins up hills versus muscling up them, then regular rings, or better yet Q-rings are the answer
Thanks,
There are enough “mashers” out there to justify using rotorcranks, but I rarely see them if at all.
Bike shops certainly don’t encourage their use, and most mechanics that I’ve talked to aren’t familiar with the installation process. And one certainly can’t rely on the LBS to finetune the rotor angle.
I know that they are expensive, but is you are paying 4 or 5k for a new bike, what’s another $800?
A few years ago I bought a set of 180mm Rotor Cranks. 1 month later I sold all my 180mm Dura Ace cranks and replaced them with Rotor Cranks. I currently have 4 bikes (3 TT bikes and my road bike) with rotor Cranks. I love 'em. I was spinning a cadence of about 94-98 in most races with regular cranks. When I switched to the RC’s my cadence fell about 4-8 rotations per minute. This more matched my running cadence…don’t know if it is related but my running improved, too.
I went from a top 3 biker in my age group to the fastest in my age group, counting mere mortals only. This is not counting the former pros in the 50-54 that place top 3 overall in races. I race against LOTS of former pros. I’m much faster with the RC’s then with normal cranks. In the first sprint races I did with the RC’s I improved easily by a minute or 2 over 12 miles. I came into T2 leading my age group. I was normally chasing the age grouop leaders out of T2.
I’ll keep my RC’s …thank you. Oh…and they help a ton climbing, too. My normal training route is about 2000ft of climbing. They help alot!!!
Hi, here are my (belated) two euros from the other side of the pond…
Installation is a breeze, and i am not a particularly good wrench, mind you.
Climbing is particularly enjoyable, especially when out of the saddle.
And yes, I am more of a masher than a spinner (around 80 rev/min on the climbs, 85ish on the flats).
Another added benefit is the four bolts spider, which lets you choose from 34 to 44 teeth inner rings. From compact climbing to a powerhouse TT rig.
On a side note, it is quite funny to find renewed interest in RCs. I understand the margin must be greater on Q-rings than on RCs, plus they are lighter and address a typical dread of the typical cyclist. But they are a beautiful piece of engineering, very well crafted, and well worth their price, IMHO. My knees love them, too.