I get multiple questions about these pretty much every time I use them, so I thought I'd write a quick review of why I use them, and what they do for me.
Here's a diagram of the basic idea. The numbers designate how big the ring feels at different point in the circle.
(photo courtesy of Rotor, found here: qringsphase.gif)
I did a 20 minute TT the week before getting them, and a 20
minute TT the week after. I noticed a 5.3% increase in
power, which was exactly in line with what Rotor (the
company that makes Q-rings) predicted. It's hard for me to
argue against this. I think I'll be getting a set for my TT
bike. Later, I plan to go back to standard circular rings
and see if the power drops back out.
Perhaps most importantly, you can shift that diagram above
by as much as you want. For instance, say you're on a TT
bike, and you'd like the ring to feel like 56 at 3 o'clock,
instead of 3:30-4. You can simply rotate the rings (they
have holes for chainring bolts all along the outside of the
ring, instead of in 5 set locations) by as many degrees as
you like. I think this is one reason people don't like
these sometimes: they don't experiment with which setting
is right for them. I use the #3 setting, the default for
road bikes, but I plan to play around with this a little
bit.
Front shifting is definitely less smooth, but I don't shift
my big rings that much anyway. I just have to think about
it for a second when I do. Frankly, when I'm dropping to my
little ring in a race, I'm thinking about it anyway.
The biggest surprise is that even though they look weird,
you don't feel any different riding them. If anyone else
had different experiences with this, I'd love it hear it,
but I can only tell which rings I'm riding if I really
concentrate on it.
As for just developing a smoother pedal stroke, I'm not
convinced. You just physically don't have as much muscle to
push at 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock. You can minimize the
deleterious effect, but if you don't have as much muscle
there, you don't have as much muscle there. I don't think
any amount of practice pedaling in circles can eliminate
this completely, but combined with Q-rings, it seems like
you may be able to nearly completely do away with the dead
spots.
Far and away, the question I get asked most is: are they
just hype? My answer: nope. They won't blow you away, but
they do seem to help you put out about 4-5% more power,
they don't feel weird, and perhaps most importantly, I've
got fewer knee problems this year. I can't directly attest
this to Q-rings, but it would make sense. I've got a leg
length discrepancy, which means that my saddle height for
my right leg is never quite as high as I need. As a result,
my right knee experiences a bit more shear force than my
left. It's enough that going up stairs hurts or creaks just
a bit during cycling season. Since I've switched to these,
however, I haven't had to cut back mileage due to knee pain
at all.
I'm interested in trying out position #4 on my TT bike when
my second set gets in. I'll try and update this page as my
experiences with this product change.
Here's what they look like on my Specialized Tarmac
Pro:
