Hi Adam, yeah I ran them for 3 years in the past and saw higher wattage numbers but it was due to the Quarq power meters distorting the figures. The only area I see an advantage with them is possibly on the MTB due to obstacles. Knowing what I know now, I will just stay with round rings due to simplicity and compatibility. Thanks for watching man.

I think that is a great reason to use Oval rings. I think it can be great for comfort and for helping in other areas but not sure about the increase in power that is claimed.

I did a newer test with an Absolute Black Chainring you may find interesting. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l8t2Zrh3ncjQhY0.html

@Reginald Ho 0876 Do you use oval chainrings for both the outer and inner, or just the inner on your tri bike?

Yes I could definitely see a benefit when it comes to triathlons and keeping the legs feeling fresh for the run.

Thanks for the input. I am thinking about using some Absolute Black Rings on my next test or some Rotor Rings. I would like to test all 3 but will see if I can get my hands on them all. I actually like the way oval rings feel. The Osymetrics that I used in this test I was not as much of a fan of because the dead spot almost dropped away too much. Thanks for sharing your experience.

That is great to hear! I'm currently waiting on my power meter to get back from Favero and then I'm going to do some more oval ring test videos.

Awesome Really Good For Mt.Biking as You Can Setup For a Obstacle 😎

Ah-ha, so you are saying even though the wattage is similar, the oval rings will cause you to ride faster and further due to the changing of gear ratio during the pedal stroke of the oval ring? That would be an interesting test in a velodrome to eliminate as many variables and do two rides back to back while the rider keeps the same wattage and time of effort to see if the distance is different. Thanks for the input.

@@BlackWaterCyclist Well, that's my understanding of it anyway.

But having said that, it may be a hard thing to test. I was just watching two guys compare clipless road pedals to flats and they both didn't like the flats. They had been cycling with clipless for years. So yeah, they were used to them, their legs had adapted. So the test (although the conclusion is probably right) was flawed. The same thing may happen with this. Because you're activating muscles slightly differently, immediate benefits may not be apparent. But from what I've read, the ovals certainly help have a more constant power output. As with human anatomy, YMMV.

@@CanwegetSubscriberswithn-cu2it Yeah from the research I have looked at (which isn't much) the change seems to be very small and inconclusive. I could see where it maybe beneficial in situations such as MTB when you need to get over a technical obstacle and you can pass through the deadspot a little quicker.

@@CanwegetSubscriberswithn-cu2it I subscribed to you lol

Thanks for the input. That is the comment I hear most, that is helps on climbs.

That is great input. I used oval on the MTB as well and I agree, I did like the smoother delivery of torque with the oval rings. I hope to do an Oval MTB test up a steep technical climb in the future and see if it actually is a noticeable difference or not. Thanks for watching.

That is very interesting Richard. Would love to know your thoughts after switching.

Yes great points and that is why I did a new test where I tested the distance covered with an oval chainring vs a round chainring. You may find it interesting. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l8t2Zrh3ncjQhY0.html

@@BlackWaterCyclist Pioneer PM can also measure it. Last year I ran a few experiments with Osymetric 54/42 and DA 55/42 on a 6km 5% avg climb. Of course, watts were the same but I did find a few extra % on the pedal efficiency and the legs felt great with the Osymetric. I did not test it on flats, just did not use it as the chain will always drop due the big chainrings, but they are definitely a winner.

That is true. I have done two tests now that do not show a benefit with Oval Rings but I will say I prefer the way they feel and both test are based on power meters that are probably distorted because of the Ovals so it is hard to tell. I think the difference is so small, that someone should ride what is comfortable.

Yeah I think they had Biopace in the 80's which was clocked the opposite of what the newer oval rings are. Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for watching. I will check the rides again soon but unfortunately the largest variable here would be the wind. I will also try to see what the wind conditions were for each ride to get an idea. The best test would be an indoor velodrome and hold the same wattage back to back to see if the oval covers more distance or not.

I've known of a lot of people doing this on forums. As long as your front derailleur is adjusted right, you should be fine. Won't shift as good as stock but shouldn't automatically drop the chain.

They were very similar. They were within 1 beat of each other. I don't remember the exact number but it was only 1 beat off.

It really depends on where you are riding? If you are doing some spirited group rides on flats where the speeds will be high, then I say 52T.

It doesn't have a huge ovalty to it but I have been talking with a few people who have done mechanical models of people and their legs with ovals and they are claiming that the problem with a lot of ovals is that they are dropping too much in the dead-spots not allowing some cyclists to apply power in an area where they actually could apply power. Very interesting stuff. I plan to do some more testing in the near future.

Yeah, and because of that i broke my personal top speed record on my bike

Hi Marc, you mean this Osymetric chainring? Yeah they are a bit more extreme than some of the others out there. I have read from some studies that in order to see the most benefit from oval rings, you do have to go for a more extreme oval shape on the rings so that is why I went with the Osymetrics to test.

Hi Mike, thanks for your input. The Heart rate was almost identical. It was only off by 1 beat between the round and oval rings.

You could maybe do oval chainring on a singlespeed with an extra chain tensioner, bit IMO it's not worth it as single speed is not efficient at all.

Yes, you can just change the big one if you want to try it without buying both. A lot of people will actually run that set up so the shifting isn't compromised as much.

Black Water Cyclist thanks ... I run AB oval on my mountain bike...

hi, i come from jogja, indonesia. What do you feel using oval chainring when sprinting in flat route? Is that good? Feel good?

@@BonangSetoaji I really think the oval rings are better for those who are doing steady state efforts like time trials. They did a study on BMX riders doing a sprint and they had a very slight increase in power but I think the issue with sprinters is getting those RPMs up really high and the oblong nature of the oval rings kinda disrupt that super fast spinning with on and off again torque. Another issue I had in the past was that when my legs were tired, the extra torque at the power zones were realy hard to push through after a long day in the saddle where a round ring allowed me to spin better because there isn't that on and off again feeling. I really liked them for long steady efforts tough. I rode them for about 3 years. Hope that helps.

@clean cyclist When riding I never had any issues with it but I am also in Florida where I rarely shift to the small ring. In areas where you are shifting the front a lot, I would not want to deal with the oval rings like you have stated.

@clean cyclist Can i say... Oval chainring good for Gravel, Cyclocross, XC, or another MTB? Isn't it?

been riding non-round chainrings for years now and they are great

I haven't really decided to but I think that's a great idea. I'll work on getting it set up if you are interested in me doing one.

@wacamac 100 its great on uphill buddy i've tested it, you dont have to stand when climbing.

@@fcku300 That is a great observation there because with the oval getting rid of that dead spot, you should be able to stay seated longer. I plan to do an Oval vs Round MTB test in the near future.

If you look at my other video where I compare the distance of an oval vs round ring, it'll explain some of those things. Check it out. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l8t2Zrh3ncjQhY0.html It will feel better in my opinion but it won't be better. I know that is an odd saying there but that has been my experience with oval rings and I've used them before for around 4 years straight. An oval ring won't add or take away any gearing that is already there. So 46t oval will be the same as 46t round on all the gears in the rear cassette.

You are right, I do mention that in the video. I'm going to do a few more test soon that measures distance instead of power. Many are claiming that your power won't go up but your speed will so it will be interesting. I did this one on power because many oval claim their power will go up. I'm going to try to do a 3 month adaptation in the future and then repeat the test.

@@BlackWaterCyclist from our training most athlete that goes to oval was able to endure on much better longer threshold meaning speed and power is maximized(Which is normal due to training) once adapted to it. The thought of an increase in "Power" would not be an accurate measurement because once you adapt to it, the figures dramatically increase in "endurance" and "threshold"( Not really on power, Because Power will come on the LATER PART)since humans are born to stand, walk, and run. the downward force is therefore normal for us and cycling(90% pushing down)on oval translates to the more muscle Recruits on enduring muscle to use not basically on the power side since the athlete is the same athlete who will use it( and ANY INCREASE ON POWER was DUE TO TRAINING constantly and not on the item*). Kindly note: The decrease in the figure on power using oval means you are still in the stage of adaptation, once you are adapted to it then your endurance muscles will normalize and "Maximizes your power potential"( Try using same"Training program you have been using" in a round ring, compare it with an OVAL chainring with the same program). Try it figuratively on fact because this would be the first time to see somebody doing it on endurance data because then you can see if there is REAL POWER improvement Using the Oval Chainring( I hope you can include this one). and Keep up, I love your thoughts and videos. pls, subscribe also to my small kids/teen world of Athlete- : GRSL on youtube : )

Hi Zed Gee, I agree that this is not scientific at all and I state that at the end of the video because there are way too many variables involved here. Thanks for watching and commenting. Do you run oval rings currently? If so, which ones?

@@BlackWaterCyclist so why post something meaningless because you don't understand the mechanics.

@@zedgee4514 Please explain to me the mechanics? You mean of the oval chainring or the mechanics of a test? I've looked at the legit studies that are out there and there really isn't much difference in the subjects and their power output from round to oval and I basically replicated that with my very unscientific "test". Do you sell oval chainrings?

Zed Gee - Why watch it and comment? You could just be an adult and, I dunno, move on to the next video and get on with life. This guy took the time to create and share this video, and I appreciate it.

@@ClockworksOfGL yeah. Seriously. Anyone who ever had to put a front derailleur on for osymetric.... respect to that man! It's no easy task because it loves to scrape. Mine works nice but it is not easy.

Hi Gary, I plan to do a test soon to eliminate all the variables to see if it is mechanically faster. I know several companies claim more wattage so wanted to just do a personal test to see if it was different for me and share my experience. Also in this situation the time would not be very accurate because of the variable of the wind. Sorry if you felt it was a waste of your time.

@@BlackWaterCyclist Oval chainring is good for climbing. At least that what I read from the AbsoluteBlack website. So, try to do the test on a long climb. Like 15 miles climb @4.5-5% average gradient. See how your leg feels like after the climb. Maybe the power increase claim is hmm ... logically if your leg fresher then you can keep the same power for a longer time = faster time perhaps?