QRINGS GENERAL INFORMATION
Stealth per formance weaponary. Meet cycling's ultimate secret weapon. QRings offer some of the performance advantages of the Rotor System to those with standard cranksets at no weight penalty. The ease of adaptation and performance benefits they offer make them a nobrainer upgrade for the discerning cyclist: Your "sceptical and infinitley wiser" buddies wont believe that your awesome sprints and powerful climbs come from your QRings. QRings increase your power by emulating a Rotor System crankset in the power stroke and by minimizing the intensity of the “dead spot” zones. By extending the time you spend in the power stroke (where 90% of all power is produced) and smoothly accelerating the legs through the critically weak "dead spots", simultaneousley magnifying the feeble pedal imput in these zones, Q's give that extra advantage you need to get ahead.
" I have a per fect spin: I don't need help” Not many people realize that one of the most important reasons to have a "perfect spin" is to compensate for the dead spot's inherent weakness. Having a perfect spin doesn't solve the dead spot problem: no matter how perfect your spin is, certain muscles in your legs will always far outpower others and a vertical crank will never have usefull leverage on the chain. Rotor's QRings are designed with smooth diameter variations, which magnify the benefits of a smooth spin by reducing variations in:
power production,
rotational inertia a of the cyclist legs, and
directional inertia of the cyclists body and bike.
We agree that a smooth spin is crucial to efficient cycling. The QRings' design reflects the fact that we decided to go a step further, to look at the relationship between the
power curve, total inertia and the spin. The vast majority of a cyclists power is produced in the down stroke of the pedal cycle, irrespective of pedalling technique. By installing
QRings, the cyclists power production is smoothed out, making a fluid spin more natural. The thing that makes Q's even better, is that the biomechanically inspired diameter variation results in more power output and less lactates giving a genuinely free increase in endurance and power.
Orientation and adjustability is key.
Shape and ovalization of QRings isn’t everything: what really sets them apart, is the basic orientation and the possibility to adjust it. The problem with normal ovalized chainrings is that they only work in one set position on a bike. As soon as the cyclist's hip moves, the angle of the crank at the minimum and maximum power points changes,
which in turn changes the orientation of the chainring in regards to the cassette. The key was to make Q's compensate for the effects of varying riding positions, leg inertia and
bike inertia. The basic orientation of QRings, based on power and inertia studies, is one of the reasons QRings feel so natural. The revolutionary narrow variance OCP
(Optimum Chainring Position) system gives the cyclist the possibility to choose from an array of settings within the small, crucial range of useful orientations. Why? Because
everyone has a different riding style, a different bike setup and a different pedalling style. The OCP system guarantees you personal optimization of the chainrings to makethem work best for you, with your riding style, your bike and the terrain you’re dealing with.
OCP INFORMATION
What is the OCP system?
The Optimum Chainring Position is a system which uses a row of different fastening holes on the inner ring of the chainring, allowing the chainring to be positioned in more than one single set orientation in regards to the crank. This system was designed to allow you to orientate your QRings for your own style of pedaling. Wouldn't it be easier to have just one or ientation? It would be easier yes, but it would not be as effective! Each and every cyclist reaches his or her maximum power point at a different crank angle, and a chainring that could only be set up to one orientation would only be useful to a small percentage of cyclists.
But the orientation requirements of the chainring are not just dependent on the seated cycling position. When a cyclist stands up and sits down, the orientation of the crank
when the cyclist reaches his or her maximum power point changes in regards to the ground. This is because the cyclist's hip is moving forward and backward. Because an
ovalized chainring should be set up so that it's orientation is always optimal in regards to the rear cassette, the OCP system comes into use again. In short, the OCP system
allows you to tune your bike for different terrain and different types of riding, simply by rotating the chainrings.
How do I set up the OCP system optimally for my pedaling style?
Those of us who have done a spinscan before will know exactly whether they have a high or low power summit, which allows you to choose the indicative basic orientation swiftly. (High spinscan: start with the QRings at position 2. Middle to low spinscan: start with the QRings at setting 3. Please keep in mind that you may well prefer
another setting once you have got used to the QRings, but this is the best way to start.) However, most of us have never had the chance to do a spinscan, so here are a
few guidelines on how to find the perfect setting for your riding style. Read on below for tips on how to find your ideal setup.
Finding your Reference orientation for road bikes
Finding the optimum reference orientation on a road bike is quite easy. After having ridden several hundred Km's / Miles with the chainrings in position 3 to get used to the
feeling of QRings, we suggest that you do the following test: Find a flat road surface which is straight and smooth for as long as possible. Once there, put the chain on the 40t chainring (the middle chainring for triple crank users) and select your 12t rear cog. now ride for a few minutes in this gear combination. Once you have got used to the feeling of this combination, switch to the 53t up front, and go to the 16t cog up back. Ride this combination for a few minutes again, and get used to it. Now switch between the combinations and you will likely begin to feel that one feels more natural, ore one gives you more power. If you prefer the inner chainring, we suggest you try the QRings set to position 4. If you preferred the outer chainring, you can try riding with the chainrings in position 2.If you live in a hilly area, repeat the same test, using a higher tooth count up back (e.g.: 53:23t, 40:17t. It is important to choose two ratios that give you as close a gearing ratio as possible, in order to carry out this test effectively). Find a slope which allows you to climb according to your normal style (Ranging from seated and spinning, to standing over the bars and hammering). Now remember which chainring you preferred in this setting. If you preferred the inner chainring during the climbing test and the outer one on the flat sections, the chances are that the default settings of the chainrings are good for you, in which case we advise you to stick to position 3 (where the majority of cyclists will be) These settings can be used as your reference orientations for future use.
Advanced Road Bike setup.
You may have noticed, that you liked both setting two and three, but cant exactly work out why. In this case, you will be able to use either setting. When deciding between
two consecutive settings (i.e. #2 & #3, or #3 & #4) the lower number will give you more speed (#2 or #3) and the larger one will allow for faster acceleration (#3 or #4).
If you are going to ride a course or route, in which you tend to stand up in a particular chainring more often than usual, you may which to put that chainring in an orientation
setting one number higher than usual, to improve the standing performance. Looking at the image below, 5 different zones are portrayed by the colours behind the bike.
Where your butt is, is basically the number you will be using, give or take a little foryour reference orientation. 2 and 3 are the positions invariably used in the saddle. If
you are going to be standing up frequently in a particular chainring, and have position 3 as your reference chainring position, you may want to put that chainring into
position 4. For those with number 2 as their reference position, we suggest they first try using position 3 before trying 4 for a a standing optimized setting. Positions 1 and
5 are very extreme, and we advise you to only use these setting after thorough testing as these setting will only work well for a very small percentage of riders.
OVALISATION: PAST ATTEMPTS.
Ovalized chainr ing design 'Dumb technology is back in'... 'I hated product X, why would I do it again?'... 'Hopeless attempts at chainring ovalization come back every 10 years... you're right on time!'
Yeah, We've heard it all before... The problem with these statements, it that they are made by people who have never tried QRings. If these guys were to get off their intelligently critical fence and onto their saddle, they would see: the thing that makes our chainrings different from all other ovalized chainrings is that QRings work. Remember how everyone “knew” that both clipless pedals and suspension were “hopeless and doomed to failure” before 1980? Just as Look proved that “dangerous and heavy” automatic pedals were the ultimate performance upgrade, and Rock Shox proved that Suspension was far more than just “heavy and no more valuable than the suspension my arms and legs give”, Rotor is here to prove that chainring ovalization works.
So why do QRings work where others failed?
To explain this properly, we need to dive into the process of designing an ovalized chainring. There are three main defining factors for a ovoid chainring design: The Orientation factor defines the angle between the centerline of the crank arm and the largest diameter of the chainring. This factor defines where the pedals are the
hardest and the easiest to push. The Ovalization factor is a simple ratio between the diameter of the chainring at its smallest and greatest diameters. This defines the gear range of the chainring and the amount of acceleration and deceleration it causes during the stroke. The Form factor is the most complicated aspect of chainring design. This
describes both the shape and the area of the chainring: Arcs and Ovals, Angles or flat sections.
In order to be successful, QRings needed to combine the successful execution of each of these three design factors into one chainring. It’s the combination that is key.
So why do Q’s wor k, when other ovalized chainrings didn't? Some of the most recent and infamous attempts at Ovalized Chainrings were Biopacein the 70’s and 80’s and O.Symetric in the 90's. These chainrings all tried to minimize the effect of the “Dead Spots” in different ways. We at ROTOR respect these designs and the pioneering spirit of their creators, but none of them attained natural market success. Why was that? Biopace chainrings were designed to take advantage of leg inertia, but they placed the
greatest effective gear at the dead spots, requiring more effort to pass the though them. The pedaling sensation was irregular and uncomfortable, and made a smooth
spin impossible. Users frequently reported knee pain, which is logical given the fact that the maximum diameter was placed at the Dead Spots. The solution implemented
to reduce these problems was to reduce the ovality to some degree, making it irrelevant in later versions, with the system eventually being removed from the market.
O.Symetr ic chainrings have a better orientation factor, giving a higher gear during pedal down stroke; but are too difficult to use for the vast majority of cyclists because they don't conserve leg inertia (the large ovalization factor and the sudden diameter ramping cause this). The O.Symetric system reduces the gear at the Dead Spots (which is good) but their shape causes sudden acceleration changes at and around the point of maximum stress for the knees, the Upper Dead Spot, where the likelihood of knee damage is already high. O.Symetric’s approximate 90deg orientation is only useful for a low pealing cadence, because most cyclists generate their maximum power at a crank angle later, considering leg inertia. (look at a pair of well worn round chainrings to confirm this they are the most worn in the area we just specified). QRings have an intelligent, sublime ovalization free of damaging 'acceleration peaks' and 'loading peaks' that allow both professional and recreational cyclists to ride faster with less lactates. Their shape ensures both faster acceleration and a smoother pedal stroke, promoting natural joint movement as well as uniform muscle and tendon loading. The ovalization of QRings strikes the crucial balance between performance gain and spinning efficiency. Additionally, the orientation of QRings is different from any system earlier conceived. Because the point of maximum power varies between cyclists, from when the crank is between 20 to 25º below the horizontal (as a result of leg inertia, bike geometry, riding position and biomechanics), the necessity of a Regulation System to customize the chainring for each cyclist’s pedaling style is clearly evident. That's why QRings have their unique 'OCP' (Optimum Chainring Position) chainring hole ring. The QRings' shape, orientation and adjustability are what set them apart and ensures that they are here to stay!