Rotor Elliptical Q-Rings are here

Triathlon Forum
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http://www.rotorbike.com/rotornews/Imagenes2005/Img_RN_38/CaniadaEs.gifInformation (from the factory): http://rotorcranks.com/pdf/Rotor-Q-Rings-Intro.pdf

Orders/pricing: http://rotorcranks.com/inquire_qrings.htm

Expecting to ship Oct 1st, limited inventory of only 300 sets in the US, of which we have already sold over 30 sets this week. If you want a set this season, you may want to consider placing your pre-order now. The factory (Madrid, Spain) makes these rings in house with a small staff, production is slow but the craftsmanship is outstanding. If you will be at Interbike, you can ride them at the Dirt Demo, or see us at the convention.

Gary - RotorCranks.com

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and (anecd. of course) I believe they are very interesting…
I used them for the half in Spokane and rode quite well there (2h09’ of actual riding time without the chain caught in the cranks, and the THREE missed turns on the course).

Also, I am back to riding at a higher cadence. I believe that RC work much better for people with low cadence but that the Qrings will help those with higher cadence…

no proof though…no need to tell me this is scientifically all wrong :wink:

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Thanks for the input/feedback Francois!

  • Gary
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I have oredered a pair from Daniel in Rotor, Madrid to try them out…I still have a Dura Ace 10-speed crankset so am gonna try with that…see how it compares to Rotors.

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What is the advantage of elliptical ring with the Rotor Cranks.

The crankset eliminates the dead spot at the top by advancing the crank arm, when is this advance recovered? Is it immediatly afterward on the downstroke? or is it later in the cycle, like on the upstroke?

By having the elliptical ring, wouldn’t that create more chain drive on the downstroke thus decreasing pedal speed further in that phase of the cycle allowing for more power to be applied? Then does recovering the lost pedaling distance on top of that slow the pedal stroke even further in the downstroke?

How are the two systems syncronized?

Thanks

jaretj

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I have found the same thing about RC’s and cadence. Before the RC’s I beleive my cadence was too high. I was always told to “keep the cadence high”. So I did!! The RC’s slowed me down and I’m much faster.

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Hi Jaret:

**

What is the advantage of elliptical ring with the Rotor Cranks.

minimizes the dead spot - the Q-Rings do not go on Rotor Cranks, but on traditional cranks such as Shimano/FSA or Campy

**

The crankset eliminates the dead spot at the top by advancing the crank arm, when is this advance recovered? Is it immediatly afterward on the downstroke? or is it later in the cycle, like on the upstroke?

It is recovered on the downstroke, slowed

**

By having the elliptical ring, wouldn’t that create more chain drive on the downstroke thus decreasing pedal speed further in that phase of the cycle allowing for more power to be applied? Then does recovering the lost pedaling distance on top of that slow the pedal stroke even further in the downstroke?

Yes, it does slow pedal speed a little bit on the downstroke, but after 30 mins or so of pedalling, it starts to feel ‘normal’ like round rings

How are the two systems syncronized?

They are not designed to be used together, the Q-Rings are designed for traditional cranksets

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…they are a seperate product…

Rotor Cranks are Rotor Cranks and these elliptical chain rings are for use on normal cranks NOT to be used on Rotor cranks…they are seperate products…

I myself have two pairs of Rotor cranks and am going to give these elliptical chainrings a go on a Dura Ace 10-speed chainset I have lying around…I have been told a 53/40 set will fit them…actually, can you confirm Gary?

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Hi Stephen

Yes, 40/53 130 BCD for your Shimano cranks

40T is the smallest inner chainring that can be made for the Q-Rings
.

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Hey Gary,
You used them yet? how do they compare…

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I got a chance to use a prototype set for about three weeks earlier this year

They are good for the flats, TT type efforts, but they really shine on the climbs and make a noticeable difference as compared to round rings. It feels much smoother to climb in the Q-Rings, as the dead spot is reduced and the rider spends more time pushing down on the pedals.

Rotor Cranks work better, but Q-Rings are a good option for traditional crankset users, and they are lighter and cheaper, easier to install.

  • Gary
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Also, I will be conducting a long term test of the Q-Rings on SRM cranks this year and next year, comparing them to round rings
.

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Thanks Gary

jaretj
.

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…I think they will attract a lot of attention amongst the weight weenies particularly…the tests should be very intyeresting.
On another note another friend of mine whom i talked into getting rotors (I have 4 friends who use Rotors now) who had knee ops and problems to contend with and he says its the best thing he has ever done…knee pains are gone after long hard rides…a real testament and NOT one of those infomercials with fake actors!!!

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My concern would be the interaction of the Q-Ring with my chain. How does it affect shifting? Is their excessive wear on the chain? Are derailleur adjustments made more difficult?

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no problem with the shifting adjustements. it takes a bit more time to adjustement because of the shape of the ring, but besides this, no differences.
As far as wear, I used to ride the osymetric rings years ago (in roth 96). They are a lot more oval than the Qrings, and with these, yes, there is some adjustement issues, but the wear was no big deal, even with all the miles I put on them.
So I don’t think wear on the chain would be significantly worse on Qrings than on regular rings.

and I think you should consider coming over to El Paso for the camp…even for a few days…

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Hi Milan

You will have to raise your front derailleur a few MMs

No abnormal chain wear reports
.

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I was looking into it yesterday. My coach needs to check my bike position (for real)…seat’s too high and I’m not low enough!!

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well, let me know…we can get an extra studio at the last minute, no big deal…if you want to come later, say wed-thur…that’s fine.

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I figure I should add my input on this one.

I am recovering from a knee injury and for the past six months - my knee had deteriorated to the point of not being able to pedal up hills.

I purchased a set of Q rings from Gary and as part of my recovery (no running allowed yet) - have been doing light spinning on the trainer with the Q rings in place. On the CT I have been able to effectively measure the difference in a controlled environment, without risking damage to my knee during my recovery. No long rides yet - but the improvements are noticeable even in short light spinning sessions.

Yes, it takes a little bit to get used to - maybe 20 minutes - as effectively - at the most elliptical point of the pedal stroke (caused by the ring shape) - you are pushing a bigger gear. The shape of the rings almost pulls your foot through the dead spot at the top of the pedal stroke.

MY knee pain on the bike is gone - and I too, have noticed my cadence is not quite as high - without a loss of power or speed on the computrainer.

At first - I pedaled with such a high cadence - that when I put the Q rings on - I bounced in the saddle - but it took only ten minutes to resolve this by slowing my cadence.

These rings are not a gimmick and should not be compared in any way shape or form to the shimano Biopace of old days.

They WORK.

They are exceedingly light - so the weight weenies (as pointed out in an earlier post) are going to love these. They also look great and get a lot of attention and positive comments - the workmanship is extremely high quality.

I had no issues with the installation - I did them myself - replacing FSA rings made for Cannondale - on a Cannondale Carbon Crankset. I use them in the number 3 position - and like rotorcranks - they have different settings to use as you become more acustomed to their use.

I did have to slide the front deraileur UP on the frame mount - per the instructions supplied - which were comprehensive and simple to follow.

I had a minor issue of the chain barely rubbing on the trailing edge of my front der at the top of the Q shape - but this was resolved by using a piece of wet and dry sandpaper on the end of a pencil - at the point of contact on the front der. It was literally a micro adjustment and caused more by the small adjustment allowed on the front der bracket - rather than the rings.

No other adjustments have been necessary and the rings are definitely not coming off the bike.

I purchased these because I could not install R/Cranks on my cannondale - so a very interesting point here for all Cannondale riders, among others.

If you want the advantage of rotorcranks - using your own cranks set - and at a lower cost than R/Cranks - PURCHASE THE Q-Rings.

You will not be dissappointed and you will notice the positive difference immediately.