Ask GMBN Tech: Should I Get An Oval Chainring?
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
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Do you ride with an oval chainring? Would you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments 👇
On the note of an oval: I recently got myself an oval and for some reason i get tired much faster than before. The oval is a 36 teeth while my old ( round ) chainring is 32 teeth. Is it possible that it is the oval or the increase in teeth that can affect my riding in this way?
Yes, never going back to round rings.
When I switched from a 3X to a 1X I initially just kept my middle chainring. The chain kept falling off and I didn't want a chain guide so I decided to go with a narrow wide chainring. Well, the price for the oval was pretty much the same as a round so I thought 'Why not.' I don't know if it is better but I do know that the next time I rode the bike I had a couple of PR's and yet didn't feel like I had worked any harder than usual. Does it work? I don't know, but it doesn't not work and it doesn't hurt. So I am keeping it.
Two things that I have noticed - It took me a few times to get used to where I put my pedals when not pedaling. At first I would have to pedal about half-way around before I engaged the rear wheel. Once I got use to putting the pedals in another location - I no longer have that issue. Second, I do know that my chain has stretched pretty quickly. I don't know if that is from the oval (thinking the teeth on one side of the ring are further apart) but my chain did stretch quite quickly (6 months or so).
Overall, I am happy with the choice. I did go with a no-name brand chainring in case I didn't like it and it has held up well. When it dies, I will spend more money on a good brand.
Being a flat pedal rider i've tried it on a friend's bike, felt weird and a bit distracting when climbing.
Stuck with the normal ones - helps me keep my focus on smooth pedaling and avoid "chopping" uphill ... also avoids stress peaks (knees etc) i think.
I was skeptical for years, said f**k it one day and bought one. Have an old knee injury that would often ache after rides, hasn't hurt since. Climbed over loose n slippy roots better, doesn't feel like any downside for speed. Feel like there's more gas in the tank after a long climb. Since pedaling is naturally uneven, why use a round ring?
1:52 oval chainring
Dumm Dumm thanks!
thank you!
You da real MVP!
Thanks
Thanks mate
I'm ordering an AB oval 34t next week and I fully expect my average speed to increase because my wallet will be lighter.
Everything old is new again. I remember in the early 90s when oval chainrings were all the rage. There’s a reason they died out. I hated them myself.
@@keirfarnum6811 I'm still happy with my Absolute Black oval chainring. No problem shifting. I really can't tell much difference between an oval ring or a round ring.
@@keirfarnum6811 in the 90s they were called bio-pace and were the oposite of the new ones.
You cant adjust a Saint shifter to 7 speed. I think what you mean is that after you reached your smallest cog there's three more clicks after that. To get rid of those extra clicks go to the smallest cog on the cassette and remove the cable. Keep clicking the upper shift lever (the one that moves both ways) until all cable is released. Then re attach the cable and adjust the barrel adjuster as necessary. There will still be 10 clicks but you wouldn't be able to reach them.because you would meet the lower limit screw and not be able to pull anymore cable. Bam you no longer have three dead clicks. Hope this helped.
That's exactly how it should be done.
Immediate scanned the comments after this question to see if anyone had mentioned this.
a bent derailleur hanger is often the cause for shifting issues in the middle gears...
I also had this issue a couple of weeks back, and realized I had played with the distance of the derailleur to the rear sprocket and forgot to set it back (it was too far apart). Only middle gears didn't shift well. Adjusted the distance and that resolved my issue. I am putting on a new cable and housing as well just for general maintenance.
The B screw too
Yep, if cable is fine and derailleur is not damaged bent derailleur hanger or b-tension set incorrectly would be the things to check.
Yeah, and b tension also
That's it - B screw!!!
oval is best most would think that it stretches your chain but in fact when the high point in the chain ring is in action the low points actually inversely allows slack its some serious engineering that makes it so good in fact Matt Jones runs one on his single speed slope style bike with no chain tensioner and it works flawlessly
Have been riding an oval AbsoluteBlack NW 30t for over a year now, all I can say is it is amazing and I will never go back to round chainrings. First 30-60 minutes using it are awkward, but after that you don't even notice the ovality, it just becomes natural. LOVE IT (XC-Trail riding purpose)
thats the question, if you dont notice the ovality. what is there to love with caps lock. l mean. u say its awkward first. and then u do not notice it. so... I just installed mine today, the same feeling : awkward -> ok. ok != loving it. it is.. ok.. it moves the bike forward as far as i can tell.
Congratulations on using the word "ovality" in a sentence today. The opportunity will not likely arise for another few decades.
I have two bikes with 1x10 both with oval Chainring, to be honest I don't notice any difference (not even the first time), even when I pedal on my road bike the same day (with round chainrings). I use the chinese ones that can't be changed on the angle, maybe that's why.
I'm a casual cyclist, 200-300km a season, my opinion dont worth much, but it seems, that with oval ring i can start moving on higher gear (i switched from round T36 to oval T36). Didnt have a chance to ride on steep hills, but i suspect, that oval ring will allow just a little steeper climbs.
@@_systemd I just tried an oval chainring and I love it. It feels more natural, your pedal strokes are smoother, and ironically it feels more round. I noticed it most when standing up, it's easier to apply a constant supply of power without feeling punchy and uneven. I'm on flat pedals and I maybe don't have the best tecnhique so maybe that's why.
I'm an average rider and made my own vid about trying an oval CR for the first time. It was a game changer for me. Simply put, I completed a climb without stopping first time out on the oval. I'd never managed it on the round chainring
One thing that isn't mentioned as much when it comes to oval chainrings on full suspension bikes is that when the ring is at its narrowest, the suspension's anti-squat values are increased during that stroke phase so the bike actually becomes more efficient by preventing pedal bob
Hmm I'm guessing that would be due to less tension in the chain then?
But with the way oval chainrings are designed wouldn't you get a very awkward foot position with the chainring being in an optimal position for that to happen? Unless I'm looking at this wrong to me it seems when you keep your feet in a natural stable position most oval chainrings would have 1 of the wider parts vertical to the wheel base not? Wouldn't that then basically negate that benefit? I wonder how that would work in the real world tho and if said benefit/detriment would even be significant enough to consider?
boomerangfreak nah, it's because the chainline will sit lower relative to the instant center. You will see this behavior explained by Dave Weagle when designing suspension with triple chainrings. Granny ring makes anti-rise higher ergo more efficient but more pedal feedback; big ring makes anti-rise lower ergo more active but less pedal feedback. In the case of triple chainring, you will see as much as 30+% difference in anti-squat value. For oval, maybe 10-20% depending on how oval the shape is.
The implications here is big of course because you can change how your rear suspension behaves just by changing pedal position. eg. When the pedals are level (3 o'clock and 6 o'clock) and the ring is at its biggest, the suspension becomes more active. This is favorable when descending. When the pedals are vertical, the suspension becomes stiffer and in the case of high pivot bikes, the chainstay length from BB shortens giving you a more agile feel when cornering.
10 to 7 Speed Conversion-
I run a SLX 10 spd shifter and derailleur on a Hope trials/singlespeed hub. It has a shorter free hub body that'll fit 7cogs on it (10 spd spacing) I just set the upper limit screw to lock out the rear mech and the shifter pod has no indicator window so there's no hokeyness there. I use the bottom 7 gears from a 10 speed cassette and it works flawlessly. This is on my street bike but I've known downhill guys to do the same setup.
11:25 You can actually "block" clicks on a shifter by adjusting the top limit screw to keep the shifter from shifting up.
I have this on my converted 2x drive train, on the front derailleur. The shifter has 3 clicks but I've adjusted the limit screw so it won't shift the last click.
I think that you can make this work on the rear.
for the 10 to 7 ... just set it up where your highest gear is the highest on the shifter ... and run the low limit till it's in the right place and the limit will stop the shifter
Good hack! Doddy do a quick vid showing this!
YEAH ur genius
Weeeell, it's not wise fiddeling around the low limit screw and risking snapping the cable with overtension as there is still way to push the lever. I'd recommend to see if Altus ratchet fits - althought it will be hella a job to take apart the shifter. Best would be to modify the existing mechanism: filing off the extra teeth and moving the stopper.
mine is just an easy/quick fix solution ... but it works fine ... and you should never be pushing that hard to shift that you risk breaking things
I have a Saint shifter and 7 speed Ultegra block just like the guy asking as my DH bike is 7 speed only (Norco Aurum carbon)... it works fine setting it up like colin p describes.
I have been riding one for two months now and I can honestly say I love it. I will be adding one to my fat bike and my hard tail.
I have been on an oval ring for 2 years. There is a learning curve. I would say a good 2 weeks for regular riders. I did some back to back testing on a round and oval. Same say, Same segment. I changed the ring at the trail head. I was a touch faster with the oval with the same HR day one and close to 15 seconds after a few weeks on it. My biggest improvement is on switchbacks where elevation pitches or if there is a quick change and then return to same grade in elevation. Probably not for every one but works well for me.
So where's the video comparing oval?? I noticed a difference immediately and will never go back!
Recently switched from a normal 30T chainring to a 30T Oval - big improvement in climbing and won't be changing back :)
I ride an oval chainring, really helps smooth out the petal stroke. and love it
Oval chainring for sure make a difference, I've been riding on 32t oval for about a year now. Out of curiosity I refitted the 34t to see the difference and I noticed it on the climbs and flats.
maybe I did get used to the smoother input of the oval, but it for sure helps .
Refitted oval again don't think I'll be going back, peace
Yes!! get an oval chainring!! I have one and I will never go back to a regular chainring... like ever.
absoluteBLACK? :)
Agreed! I got an Absolute Black a couple years ago and I swear it made me faster on the climbs with less effort. I also run a OneUp chain guide with no issues but I'd say it's not necessary, I keep it because it's part of the bash guard.
On oval chainrings: Been watching them since the 80s.
1. Can someone ask a physicist about torque, power and the actual lines the forces take. I am tired of the subjective “they feel good”. I am also tired of the line that the short axis has the diameter of a 32” while the long is more like a 34”. It don’t matter! The RPM is the same, the rear cassette has no idea how it’s being driven.
2. If they are better, everyone would have them, yes?
3. Can someone do the simple experiment of mounting one with the oval 90 degrees from the way it should be mounted? Presumably the bike would ride very, very poorly. Same rider, same bike, velodrome conditions, oval mounted correctly and then incorrectly.
4. If all this could be done without mentioning a manufacturer’s name, that would be great too.
Albert Batfinder for question 1 it’s a simple as when your in your downstroke your going through more teeth, and on the upstroke using less teeth. For the inch thing, the radius gets bigger in the downstroke because of the oval shape
Check Dylan Johnson's video on oval chainrings. It's pretty well researched.
I can tell you is it's like shifting gears automatically. Gets slightly easier when legs are in the weakest position and slightly stronger when the legs are in their strong position. All I know for sure is it feels incredibly smooth climbing now with no lurch as I make the transition from side to side.
I just tried an oval chainring and I love it. It feels more natural, your pedal strokes are smoother, and ironically it feels more round. I noticed it most when standing up, it's easier to apply a constant supply of power without feeling punchy and uneven. I just climbed a local hill standing up in top gear which I've never done before. I'm on flat pedals fyi
That's what I tell people...it feels more round than round rings.
Oval chainring is designed to make people do what everyone should but few do: Learn pacing.
But the oval chainring, like any "accessibility", standardize the pacing, and if you know how to pace yourself, it becomes a hindrance.
Pacing, Idk if all english natives call that way, and in my native language is called what would be "cadence", is having and keeping a rhythm on the pedals that you can apply force with each leg at the right sector of the chainring turn that prevents three things: Overpowering in general, wasting muscle effort, overpowering one leg with the other, also wasting muscle power, and losing momentum by not applying force when it is needed.
Oval chainring makes a "one fits all" pacing so you avoid those 3 things to the larger extent it can be done by a chainring.
Again, if you already trained how to pace your pedaling, an oval chainring will just get in the way of you changing you pace to suit your needs.
One good thing to learn pacing, and that is why in my native language it shares concept with cadence, I guess, is to train with music. In a fixed bike, or in an open space you wont be needing to pay attention to obstacles, you pedal your bike to different beats of music and learn how the bike behaves in each beat. Then you get a "memory" of the beat you need to go about each situation.
YES Absolute Black 32 tooth on my 2018 Trance 3. I ride a lot of dusty, loose over hard and I climb a ton, with the full squish, it kicks out and spins the rear wheel a ton without an oval chainring, especially with clipless pedals. 100% worth the cost, and extremely noticeable. I've got well over 200 miles on the oval ring and wouldn't change back.
On the topic of 10 to 7 speed. I would first click shifter so it corresponds to the 7th gear and then tighten the cable back at the derailleur. You wont have dead shifts just imposibly hard shifts. If limit screws are precise should be no problems. Worked for me.
I've been riding an Absolute Black oval on two bikes now, my current is a Norco. I ride punchy techy climbs (flat pedals), lots o power moves and after installation, I noticed it on my first climb (and a few others that day). I was able to crank through sections where normally I wouldn't be cleaning the climb, felt like I had a bonus pedal stroke. I still fail at climbs that my friends are clearing on non oval chainrings but I'll take what I can get! It's a subtle positive addition and and in the future, I'll be putting another oval on my next bike. Not sure why pros don't use them, even if it only helps a little... I actually thought spinning on flat sections felt smoother!
9:54 simple: bent derailleur hanger!
Oval chainrings are hands down the way to go, better everywhere, stood pedalling, climbing, you can push a higher gear and they do literally give better traction.
I did buy an oval chainring from Absoluteblack, and I didn't feel so much difference, therefore my time are a little bit better on climbs, comparing to 2018, the same as in 2017, so I think the oval chainring is better, at least for me!!!!
I just mounted an oval chainring and climbed 3-4 times the same 20% uphill i used to climb everiday for years... I cand say that now my front wheel stay on the ground cause my pedal stroke is very round! That's great!
I was running an oval on my hardtail for about two years. I then got a new FS bike with a round 32t and couldn't take it, ordered an oval within the first week of having the new ride. I had knee pains prior to ever switching to oval, now I never have knee pain.
I raced on biopace years ago, and biopace 2, it was pretty much gotten rid of because of the knee problems it caused, if you go oval, be careful of your knees, if they hurt, go back too a normal chainring
Any1 remembers shimano's bipoace chainrings from 1990s?
for the fork question, go for the longest travel you can afford (i suggest dont go over 150mm) (take this with a grain of salt...)
my old specialized pitch comp 650b size small (2015) had a 80mm suntour on it. then one day i was browsing through CRC and saw a 2016 pike with 160mm travel (rct3) for 500€ and i bought it. after installing it, i noticed how slack the bike was (70.5 deg ha to 64 deg ha) and suprisingly it made the bike feel so good..... it suited my riding well..
jaakko200987654321 this is not good advice it will void your warranty and will put loads more leverage on your head tube which could snap
i know. do that only if you understand the implications. also if you have warranty still left dont do it
11:57 As long as you got long enough limit screws you should be able to make it work, all rear dérailleurs have enough limit screw adjustment for that, the limit screws will make it impossible to shift down further even if the cable gets slack.
I am after my first ride with an oval chainring. It felt funny for the first minute then I got used to it and here are my observations.
Pros: feels I have more power and that you slingshot forward on the uphills, more traction on the techy climbs with flat pedals (I find it difficult to pedal smoothly on flats, I was good with it on clips)
Cons: you run out of leg strength sooner on steep climbs: on the actual power stroke my 32t oval has the diameter of 34t and you have to push that 6% harder to turn the cranks and it feels. It also encourages (me) to lower cadence.
So far I am happy with it but I think if you ride clips the gains would be marginal.
For the 10 to 7 shift, some manufactures run seven speeds shifters on kids bikes eg 3 x 7 speed, I had just changed my sons bike from a grip shift to a ratchet shift on his bike.
Doddy, there is a limiter for a 10 speed derailleur to run 7 speed. It basically clamps on the cable to limit the derailleur from moving to the lower gears. I have one that came on my new Demo 8 DH bike. I'll see if I can find the resource.
Thank you. You guys are the winner! I've got an old 1987 mtb with a Biopace chainring. The crank is aligned with the widest part of the gear. A series of videos I watched say that I should move the crank position. The well meaning UA-camr however holds chain rings and talks and talks and explains. He's even got some graphs. I can't follow him. There are five screw holes in my Shimano Biopace chainring, so it's obvious that if my old factory setting is not ideal, then the better option is either to rotate my rings 72 degrees clockwise or 72 degrees anti-clockwise. Finding out which has been nearly impossible. (Weird huh?) Googling this different ways I finally got a link with a thumbnail clearly showing that the wide part should be 72 degrees in front of my crank arm. That's to this video. So thanks. I'll give try that.
Do I like my Biopace? I've been pedaling them for 32 years (but not regularly.) I'm used to them, but I don't know. I've ridden a lot of bikes without them and they're okay too.
I think your point about they may be best for flat pedals, no clips or clipless is excellent. Makes a lot of sense. I clearly remember when I first installed clips and straps and started lifting up with my off leg. The term 'crank' lost some of its meaning as I was now more machine (spinning?) keeping my cadence going. So higher cadence and clipping in probably does eliminate most benefits from an oval chainring.
Going up a steep climb is when I most notice them. If you re-visit this topic I think that would be a good place to start.
Would I buy a new bike with Biopace or some other oval chainrings? Maybe, but I probably would select other aspects first, like a really low climbing gear and a good high gear ( I do a lot of my riding on the road, so a 1x chainring is an immediate no). Would I spend say $100 on non-round chain rings as an upgrade to a new bike? I'd want to see a lot more clear information first. *The big unanswered question is: Shimano clearly did some research, thinking and engineering when they invented the Biopace, So why did they get the position wrong? Or did they? *
I've used Absolute Black and OneUp oval rings with the MRP 1x guide for a couple years with no issues. A small bit of extra traction on loose punchy climbs is the only thing I notice.
Used to run these back in the late 90s when Shimano was specing them on triples.... I'm building up a used 2017 Devinci Troy and with the 1x setup...I'm considering using one again after 20+yrs
I have ovalchainring my thoughts is.. what this thing does actually. Minimize the dead spot of your crank rotation. Benefits are good for the strong spot by minimizing the dead spot.
Kind of mathematics equation. Adding negative factors on dead spot but strong spot are the same!
Sometimes the discussion on oval chainrings gets a bit mixed up, but as I understand it, they don't so much increase traction as allow you to put in a more consistent effort while not stalling when the pedals are not in the ideal orientation.
That's what I noticed when I changed. When climbing, I don't have that lurch as I switch from one foot to the other.
Ok today was my first short 22 mile ride on mostly flat terrain with the Absolute Black 34t inner oval chainring. My average speed on this ride was 0.4 mph faster on the exact same route as my previous average(s). Perhaps it was all in my head. I don't know. In the first four miles I noticed something was different in my pedaling but it was very subtle. My cadence in the 34t felt smoother. When I went to the big ring at 17 mph I noticed it felt a bit sluggish in the non-power position. All I know is I'm keeping the 34t inner ring on the bike and on down the road I may go to a full sub compact Absolute Chainring setup. BTW shifting on the front derailleur was flawless with no adjustment needed because I kept the standard round Ultegra 6800 big ring. Also I don't feel as tired after my ride but that may be because today is half-price day at Churches Fried Chicken and that's where we're headed as soon as I get cleaned up. Nothing like a big box of extra spicy fried chicken and coleslaw as a recovery meal.
Back in the 90’s when I was a teenager I bought a 2nd mountain bike and it had an oval chan ring I think it was even a 3x oval tech system. It was great for popping wheelies
Shimano biopace huh? I recently saw 1 in the flesh and it looked so weird and mesmerizing at the same time in all honesty.
Your derailleur doesn't move on a oval chainring, the diameter may change physically, but the half length of the cog is the same, no matter what orientation.... So when cycling the chain, you'll see the derailleur sit dead still 👍🏻😊
I use an MRP upper guide, just like the ones you show in the video. With my oval ring there is no problem. You just have to adjust the clearance where the ring has the largest diameter, It is still covered by the guide where the ring has the smallest diameter. I don't understand why he is trying to make a point about it?
Why is it never mentioned that a worn chain shifts worse than a new?
I commute 8km each way every day in all scandinavian weather and don't clean my bike very often. This means that my chains and sprokets wear out every 6 months at least.
When i fit a new chain on an worn casette, the shifting imediately gets better.
Sometimes the chain starts skipping in the worn gears, if it's not too bad it goes away when the chain stretches. But usually there is no way around changing both.
My advise is to ride chain and casette as long as bearably possible and change both together.
Also, changing the jockey wheels to ones with bearings, have helped with better shifting on cheaper deraileurs (105 or worse). My experience is Shimano only, but i could imagine that it translates across.
Soz that was rapid rise for normal mech\shifter set shift to 3rd set rear mech to 1st then crimp as last stated 😃
3:15 I am pretty strong but round rings are just too much, and I ride a lot, but of course not every one is the same, even if you ride a lot and are strong it does not mean Oval won't benefit you, technically they will benefit everyone, but some riders say the barely notice a difference, but most will notice huge difference.
I have heard that a bendt derailer hanger only affects a few gears, for example only the middle gears
1:02 good points, but stones will scratch up the frame anyway, so you would need protection on it to avoid that, I put as much as i could.
my 2014 Fuel ex, is way too flexy for me, I got only few mm on the drive side, so with 2.30 tyres it tyre flex, and flex in the crank area, will make it rub, they did a horrible job, it came speced with 2.30 but you need 2.1 to not get rub. But I still ride my old xc hardtail, which don't ahve this issue, clearance is not amazing but good enough, stiff enough frame, unless you really go crazy it won't rub, But Rockshox 32mm forks got horrendous clearance, like Rock Shox Recon gold so watch out for that, if you want mudguard you need 2.1 tyres, any bigger it won't fit, mudguard or goggles is a must for me, or I get stones in my eyes.
My trail bike is annoying but new bike is in the plans, probably Nicolai or Pole, but Nicolai looks more and more promising as more I look at it.
Nice watch and band !! ...and the video's not bad. Thanks for the info and well placed details.
Mostly i am surprised why the oval had not become a standard already. I went from a sound 32T to an oval 34T, was slightley anxious how the steeps would feel, with 2 teeth up. Have to say within 20 minutes of felt normal regarding the pedalstroke.
The results for me? Wow what a difference! More power uphill, less fatigue even when speeding, more reaction. I will not go back to round ever.
Hi! I was wondering why you didn't go with an oval 32T? Can't really test out in the bike shop in my area and I'd appreciate your opinion. Thank u!
m.ua-cam.com/video/5Ywg4Rd0jTM/v-deo.html
This guy explains it very nicely
@@bloemherrebout4924 thanks man!
Doddy, thanks for addressing my concerns about running an oval with the clutch. I'll now upgrade my new Stumpjumper without worry. Cheers!
Glad we could help!
I'd love to know what Shimano say about it. I really didn't expect Sram to say it was an issue due to the fact that their clutch is just a strong spring. Shimano's clutch is the one that i would expect an oval chainring to destroy.
This video has spike me to go back using my ovals. I used them for about 3 months last year to test. It took me about 2weeks to completely feel normal to use them. As my fitness has been changing all the time, I couldnt tell if i had improved efficiency using it. All I know is that I could use a lower gear more comfortably when spinning at higher rate. I changed back to normal ones it took me a few days to get used to it completely.
A oval chain ring doesn't change the chain matt jones runs one on a single speed dj bike and it stays the same the whole pedal stroke
In response to the question at 11:28 by whistler bike. Why don’t they just shift to the lowest tooth gear and screw in the limit screw ? I’ve done this on my giant glory with saint shifter and it works just fine and unless I push the shifter really firmly (which probably does more harm than good) is the only way I can make the shifter click further.
Yes, then switch to briefs.....tight ones. It makes you more aerodynamic.
Oval chain rings are great on on 1x, but the chain can fall off if downshift you 2x too hard.
Actually i think a oval chainring shouldnt affect the derailleur as the chain length doesnt grow as you might think. Matt Jones uses an oval chain ring on his dirt jump bike, ie a Hardtail, with no chain tensioner.
You don't really need an oval chainring if you use clipless pedals. But I can understand the use with flat pedals.
3:52 the way I ride I need a chain guide even on Narrow wide, I use Absolute Black Bashguide the guide is designed by 77Designz, it works great, it's the only chain guide that's properly developed for oval rings. I also have to have a bash guard, I have it even on my Xc bikes, all of my bikes have to have it.
if you ride down a steep & rough downhill like for example more or less 50 degree stairs or downhill with huge roots, and ride down with low gears, the chain will drop. for me it dropped with this setup: 37T cog on the cassette and 36T Raceface round narrow wide ring. down about 50 degrees stairs
The rear mech has to die quicker,its constantly on the move,my g2 supports only round,round wheels,round hubs,round bearings,tyres,,cassette and the pedal rotation,all round,ill go round,it seems more intough with the physics of motion,however had xt bio pace around 1990,a brilliant 3 ring crank for xc,climbs and flat miles,round feels slightly more torqey on downhill,keeps traction good
Hey Doddy, have you still got that old favorite of yours, the all black Azonic Recoil. With the pink camo forks you done yourself. That was a beast at the time, I even have old footage of the Don abusing one from Earthed I think. I only mention it because that faux bar seems to have come full circle. I wonder how it would stand up today, against, say, an aluminium 26 inch demo, like Nicolai Rogatkins. Good idea for a comparison video, see how far the Faux bar has come in 20 years. Great vids. Peace!
There is so much bias in biking it's astounding. If the oval chaining or lefty fork or tubeless systems were first we'd be just as sceptical of the current standards if they had come along second. BUT... Better systems are not so obvious and take time to develop. I welcome most of these new developments.
How much tire clearance needed? Not very much! Maybe 5mm on each side. Two of my front tires are very close to the fork arch too, but no problems, no scraping. Now if you are riding in mud, that's going to be a problem. If it's dry, if you need a wider tire because it's loose or you just want an insurance policy downhill, whatever fits is fine. It just won't be as fun riding back to the trailhead with wider tires that drag more than narrow XC-oriented ones. A beginner and many intermediate riders will probably feel a lot more comfortable with a 2.6 or 2.8 tire for mountain biking. I really don't notice fork flex or any rubbing on tires that are fairly close to the fork sides (stanchions). Other more experienced, talented, and picky riders may. If you can get away with shredding with a 2.4 up front, go for it. 2.4's feel very lively and fast, but when I look at my own data, they are not as fast as a 2.6 or 2.8 in general, because you are subtly & imperceptibly losing tiny amounts of traction constantly on a 2.4 that you are retaining on a 2.6 or 2.8 due to the larger tread footprint of those tires. All of those tiny losses of traction on a 2.3 or 2.4 add up to a 1, 2, 3, 4% slower ride overall, even though you will 'feel' faster on a 2.4 because a 2.6 or 2.8 smooths things out and makes the downhill ride actually seem slower because things are more stable. But in general 2.6 / 2.8 are faster by the clock. Many Enduro Bros use a lot of 2.6 now, for a reason: they are fast and stable. This statement will irritate the more purist experts/pros that swear by 2.3 and 2.4, but hey, every rider is different, and don't knock 2.6 / 2.8 until you try it. I've looked at my downhill times, I know that for me 2.4 is a niche downhill tire for a relatively small percentage of trails, and 2.6 is more optimal for most trails. 2.8 is a wagon wheel, you have to muscle it around in turns, but the clock doesn't lie: it's fast, a lot faster than it feels.
Ain't it a new gadget version of biopace to rip off the guilable
Matt Jones uses an oval chain ring on his single speed dirt jump bike, with no derailleur, so it has no reason to wear a derailleur.
Airshafts are about £30 .. try the 100 and drop it to 80 if it negatively affects the bike
#Askgmbntech What do you think about suspension made by Öhlins? Have you ever ridden one? Greetings from Rhineland-Palatinate.
Little correction: Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
about that roscoe 8 - couldnt it be cassette wear ? seems like mid would wear first
A long time ago I used a biopace chainring. It worked pretty well for climbing. I didn't notice anything on flat. Those were a bit different from the ones they have now
biopace were different.
Doddy you gotta try one dude. Can we get a dedicated video on it?
Oval rings are king.. once u ride one. You'll never go back. They are faster and easier.. a 34 will be fast as a 35 or 36. and feel like a 33 or 32....
Why do downhill bikes still use 12mm rear axles? Isn't 20mm way stiffer?
I tried an Absolute oval in thick mud and the chain was coming off at every crank turn. Not even worthy of the recycling bin.
I had it for 6 months and around 500km, its starts chain dropping. no more thanks
HELP ! what if your chain ring is too close to the frame and the chain keep snapping ?
I use oval rings on all my bikes and the benefits are most noticeable on a singlespeed as there are no hiding places for the effects better climbing on previously gut busting climbs higher average speed and better traction, there's no more chain growth with oval than with round rings, believe or not round rings aren't perfectly round. Clutches need periodic tightening on whatever bike you use them on and having oval rings is a red herring with regards to determining the cause, it's quite simply wear and tear on the rubber bung which happens through normal riding as the arm does still move just not as much. Reason being is that with oval rings no matter which part of the pedal stoke your In there is always the same amount of teeth engaged with the chain. I use mine with no chain tensioner and there is no more chain growth causing tight or loose parts of the revolution than a round ring.
Hey Doddy ..... a few shows back, you recommended checking out Cane Creek for an angled headset.
After going through their filters, there was no headset to fit my 2015 GIANT TRANCE .....
Looking for a quality angled headset ... what do recommend?
Thanks for sharing you mountain biking expertise with us
#AskGMBNTech Hey, Doddy, I'm a Mechanical Engineer from Bengaluru, India. I have a Marlin 6 which I bought last October. I use it for commuting and XC. I am experiencing a small problem with my front sprockets lately. I use the following gear ratios, largest 4 cassettes with the 24 teeth, 3,4,5,6 with the 34 teeth, and smallest 3(6th, 7th and 8th) cassettes with the 42 teeth. I don't know the exact terms to use to explain my problem so i will use an example. I changed from the 42 teeth chain ring to the 34 teeth, so from my knowledge, the chain should shift in about half a revolution of the crank. But, what happens(sometimes(once every 100 gear shifts or so)) is, as I'm pedaling, the upper part of the chain slowly shifts to the 34 teeth chain ring but even after half a revolution, some part of the chain is on the bottom part of the 42 teeth chain ring. As I continue pedaling, the chain is pulled back and gets stuck between the chain ring and the chain stay. Meaning, the chain, from the bottom of the chain ring is not traveling towards the rear derailleur but moving with the chain ring till 3/4 crank rotation where it gets stuck between the chain ring and the chain stay. This has resulted in one of the first scratches...... What do I do???
Love the show Doddy!
#askgmbntech Hypothetically if you can put 27 plus on a 29 frame, could you put 26 plus on a 27 frame?
Smaller plus doesn't automatically fit in larger non-plus. There's a width clearance to consider, not just diameter. (that goes for 29r as well)
Mr. ZiggedWhenHeShuddaZagged is right.
The Evil Calling does this. Good luck finding 26+ wheels and tyres though!
Riding flats the oval is most noticeable on loose climbs ... does it wear the clutch? I think so having had to replace 2 but they are £10 or so (Shimano anyway)
Totally away from the video but I have a question about my lockout on my front fork. Over the past few months it's starting to feel like it's not doing anything, how can that be whilst the pressure hasn't dropped? I'm riding with a Rockshox Judy Silver Air
Is the vidus nucleus vr 275 a good bike
Mountain bikes are so over engineeried for the average Joe Road rider/canal paths ,and they are seriously fast compared to the bikes I rode in the 70s as a kid, lightweight alloys disc brakes 💯🤟💪
Hello Doddy - just sent in an email asking for help with my newly acquired 2005/6 Gary Fisher Fat Possum with a... different rear shock - a Manitou Split RPA - how on earth does one strip and assemble this thing?
Matt Jones has an oval chainring on his horizontal dropout single speed dirt jumper
Interesting! Curious how that affects chain tension.... and why he does it?
Apparently oval chainrings do not have any chain growth so it doesn't affect tension (Blew my mind) he says it helps the pedal stroke even on a slope bike and he uses them on all his other bikes he likes them all to be the same
im getting a 30t oval for my dirt jumper :D
do i need clipless pedals before i switch to oval chainrings? or does it work on flats?
hahaha just saw matt stevens at stage 17 of tour de france...classic.
#askgmbntech hi doddy love your show what do you think is the best way to loose weight faster? Pedaling on low gear or high gear? Cheers from the philippines.
Padyak lang bro, at least 4 times a week in 2 hours, tirahin mo paahon parati. Maintain lang carb at sugar intake wag pasobra.
Can you explain to people and including me, on and how to upgrade your fork? I have a 2018 Trek X Caliber 8, what specs and names should I look for as far as the actual fork goes? Like I know I have a 100mm air 29er but like the G2 on 51mm offset I think? Does that have any change on a Fork option? Fork tube Size? What to look to for when purchasing a new one? Also gear options for 2x10 guys with cheap ol HG50 stuff. Also have Shimano m315 brakes. Just bought Shimano RT66 180mm disk front and rear with sinterd pads. Should I look at other masters and calipers? Shimano has so many options? Thanks for the Vids GMBN! Love you guys from the States! Sorry for the long question. Noob mtb, and I think I just read so much mtb stuff and just got confused. Do lots of bike camping.
What’s the benefit of a square tapper bottom bracket and a hollow tech one. It’s kinda expensive in our country so it’s kinda hard to choose what parts are needed to be changed
Arnold Christian Mendoza Square Tapers are heavy, develop play very quickly but are cheap. Hollow Tech I'm a bit hazy on but Hollow Tech II is very light, reliable, easy to work on but is pricy.
that sums it up quite nicely. Also I have noticed a square taper BB can have problems with cranks coming loose if they are not installed super tight. When it comes to square taper you will also need crank pullers to take your cranks off and it's gonna take considerably more effort compared to hollow tech. For removing your cranks on hollow tech you really only need a Allen key (I think it's a 5mm?) and 1 of those pretension ring tools (dirt cheap). The removal of a hollow tech BB is also really easy at home with a BB tool, the parktool BBT-9 also comes with the shimano pre tension tool attached meaning you will only need 2 tools to work on your BB/cranks with a hollow tech.
I ride a oval chainring with a 10 speed drivetrain
To stop a shifter shifting to the last 3 clicks cut the end off a cable crimp remove cable from last section of casing slide crimp on refit cable select the last gear you want crimp at shift side cable stop not rear else you will have achieved nothing 😉
Hi Doddy, I have a Orange Crush s 2016 in a size XL(140mm of travel) I was wondering if adding a angle adjust headset (-2 degrees) to change the head angle to 64 from 66 degrees would mess up the handling of the bike? Cheers.
I rode with an oval chainring around 20-25 years ago! (I'm surprised you didn't bring up the fact that this existed and went extinct.) And I believe they got rid of them because some felt they were causing knee issues. But no... I won't be going back in time.
modern ovals are way different. i think nowdays its for a whole new purpose
But modern ones do the opposite. Keep up in the time
Great. How? How are they different? The old ones were intended smooth out pedal strokes based on when you have more vs less leverage. So, how are the new ones different? I'm genuinely curious.
Thanks for the clarification, bigtruck.
I just wanna hear peoples opinion because i wanted some cheap dh brakes... i found 2 i liked shimano Zee and magura mt5. their abour same price wich ones better?