Does anyone have any experience, or is currently using Rotor's Q-Ring system? I am reading about these now and possibly considering.

Posted By: Mike MancusoDoes anyone have any experience, or is currently using Rotor's Q-Ring system? I am reading about these now and possibly considering.

Yes, I have been riding Rotor Q-rings for 2 yrs now. Love them!

Chat is http://www.endurancewerx.com/

BikeFit+ is actually a sponsor this year if you can get out to Sag Harbor http://www.bikefitplus.com/

I have been riding them this year; I love how stiff the cranks are, but can't say I'm seeing a difference I can notice. I'm very happy with my results this year though, so won't knock 'em.

One thing to keep in mind; if not set up perfectly they are a BITCH to shift properly. I was just about ready to return/sell them until Purdy tweaked my front derailleur.

If I wasn't locked into that damn Cervelo BBRight standard I'd have probably gotten a regular crank.

One other thing to keep in mind is the recent trend toward slightly shorter crank arms. The rationale Chad gave me was that since studies can't find a difference in power, the slightly shorter crank arm gives you a little less cramped "top" of the pedal stroke so you are starting with more power.

Basically very similar (about half) the advantage of the Rotor for the low-low price of a slightly shorter crank.

Thanks Ros/Jules.

I'm actually running 170 cranks arms now on a 50/34. The main reason I am considering is because I am going to start training with power again, and I've heard really good things about the Rotor system, so I'm considering the Rotor/Quarq combo, but if it really isn't worth it, the deal at competitive on the SRAM975/SRM is hard to pass on.

I've also heard that they really have to be adjusted properly as well, I plan on buying through Chad if I go this route and have Purdy install.

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Muchas gracias Jules & Mike!

(I think the forum ate one of my posts)

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Posted By: Jules RoazenI have been riding them this year; I love how stiff the cranks are, but can't say I'm seeing a difference I can notice. I'm very happy with my results this year though, so won't knock 'em.

One thing to keep in mind; if not set up perfectly they are a BITCH to shift properly. I was just about ready to return/sell them until Purdy tweaked my front derailleur.

If I wasn't locked into that damn Cervelo BBRight standard I'd have probably gotten a regular crank.

One other thing to keep in mind is the recent trend toward slightly shorter crank arms. The rationale Chad gave me was that since studies can't find a difference in power, the slightly shorter crank arm gives you a little less cramped "top" of the pedal stroke so you are starting with more power.

Basically very similar (about half) the advantage of the Rotor for the low-low price of a slightly shorter crank.

Adapters exist to stick most cranks into BBright stuff.

Rotor (and O.Symetric) are, for those who remember Bio-Pace, the reverse of bio-pace. With Bio-Pace, the effective gear was reduced through the 2-4 o'clock range, whereas with Rotor, the effective gear is increased. So you're arguably using your bigger, more powerful muscles more at their most powerful range and then speeding through the parts o the stroke hwen humans are typically weak.

Whether or not they really work is nearly impossible to measure in the lab.

Some people get on them and love them. Others can't adapt.

Sastre was using the Rotors in the final few years. Wiggins has been using O.Symetric religiously since his Garmin days. Greg Henderson sprinted well on O.Symetric, but seems to be off them now. I noticed that David Millar, J-A Flecha, and Mike Barry seem to be able to switch back and forth. Lots have tried and stuck with round--at a certain point, some find it hard to unlearn the "round" kind of stroke.

To be honest I never noticed a big difference; I feel like I'm a little more torque-y this year but not sure if it's a result of the cross season or the q-rings

Posted By: mattie davitt

Posted By: Jules RoazenI have been riding them this year; I love how stiff the cranks are, but can't say I'm seeing a difference I can notice. I'm very happy with my results this year though, so won't knock 'em.

One thing to keep in mind; if not set up perfectly they are a BITCH to shift properly. I was just about ready to return/sell them until Purdy tweaked my front derailleur.

If I wasn't locked into that damn Cervelo BBRight standard I'd have probably gotten a regular crank.

One other thing to keep in mind is the recent trend toward slightly shorter crank arms. The rationale Chad gave me was that since studies can't find a difference in power, the slightly shorter crank arm gives you a little less cramped "top" of the pedal stroke so you are starting with more power.

Basically very similar (about half) the advantage of the Rotor for the low-low price of a slightly shorter crank.

Adapters exist to stick most cranks into BBright stuff.

When you have a dentist bike, you do not stick an adapter in it.

Tru dat. Plus, the adapter they sent with my R3 BBright warranty job...... uh, sucked. It always wiggled loose. Made noise. Didn't fit the cranks well. All around stank. But, I contacted Cervelo and they're sending me the same freebie they sent Jules. Which looks like reformatted FSA Gossamer crankset for BBright. Not very special. But hey, they're free, and the frame is so damn light that it shouldn't be that bad. I just couldn't justify the Rotors.

Also have a hookup for 2011 SRAM Red (I know, a lot of people think Sram is junk) brifters, calipers, derailleurs for $500. "Slightly" used. Good deal?

"Thou shall not sully dentist bike with reflectors, mirrors or adaptors."

comes in the paragraph right after

"Man cannot serve both god and cobbles."

Jules the improvement is clearly due to the Q-Rings

Q-rings

Not sure which thread this belongs in, but it is carbon fiber...

http://www.davideanzalone.com/?page_id=58&cat=13&post_id=1094

Hoping to get some collective wisdom from the group. I am unfortunately in the market for a new bike. Mine was stolen at some point last week and because of work didn't notice until Saturday. (It was a crappy work week too - I was in the office when the L&C race started).

My prior ride was purchased before I started racing, though entirely fine for a hack like me. That said I want to upgrade the bike but am confronted with too many options and would like to make a decision quickly so I can get back to riding. I had a Cdale CAAD 8 with 105 and also on it was a set of Neuvation wheels with a powertap - now all gone. (I'll be reviewing security cam footage from my building's garage soon).

Now that I'm racing I'm looking for something a bit more competitive but don't want to kill the budget. I test rode a CAAD 10 this weekend at Ride (confirmed the 5% discount on bikes) and found it to be a bit quicker in both the handling and acceleration. (It was sporting a set of DA 24mm carbon clinchers though, which helped the acceleration and the bike comes stock with Fulcrum 7s).

I know that a few of you are on the CAAD 10 or 9 and that hasn't hurt anyone's success in the 1/2/3s. I'm thinking of spending in the $2 - 3k range and clearly if I go with the CAAD10 I'll have some money left over to get power (thinking quarq) and wheels (I'm not thinking about it yet). Anything else I should be checking out? Clearly I'm indifferent to carbon vs alloy.

Aside from which bike to purchase the biggest questions in my mind are:

1. (at the risk of starting a huge debate) SRAM Rival v Shimano Ultegra. I liked the ability to trim the big ring on the SRAM but am accustomed to the shimano brifters. Probably personal preference on brand, but any big differences based on the two groups listed? (as I said I had 105 before)

2. upgrades done at purchase. I've never done this and if someone has experience with doing this I'd love to know your thoughts. I was talking to one of the wrenches at Ride (they were very helpful) about upgrading certain parts off the bat which may help since they'd take into account some offset for the part coming off the bike. Ideas would be RD, Brifters, and Crank if I go with the Rival based bike - upgrading those to Force or for the crank maybe a SRAM based quarq.

3. Crank BCD - I had a compact and didn't mind. With an 11-25 or 28 cassette, I'm better than a 53-12 in gear inches. I tend to spin quite a bit - typical cadence is high 90s. Am I doing myself a disservice if I go with a compact again? I'm not afraid of any name calling it may incite.

3. most importantly - what color?

Anything else? Normally I'm very methodical and take my time doing due diligence but I don't really have that luxury - I'd like to be out riding again this weekend.

Thanks

If you want to go new, CAAD 10 is the way to go, IMHO. If you want used, you can still find CAAD9 frames around. That's what I'm rocking. more detailed reply later.

What other brands do Ride carry?

Craig, as a CAAD10 rider myself, I highly recommend the frame.

1. In terms of Gruppos, go with what you are most comfortable, with that being said the first ride I did on a CAAD10 was with SRAM Red and it only took me a few miles before the shifting felt second hand, though I did purchase the Dura Ace bike.
2. I can't really comment on, as I've always ridden stock bikes and upgraded later on.
3. When I was getting fit, I had this same conversation, and what was explained to me is that a 50-11 gives the same as a 53-12, I prefer the compact as it helps me a lot on bigger hills and I don't mind spinning either.
4. I went with the all black because I didn't have a choice with the Dura Ace spec, but rocking the Kissena kit with the gulf racing schemed bike would be dope!

The other thought I had was stick with the crankset that comes with the bike, and get the cycleops carbon wheel/G3 hub combo. The wheels are enve, with Cycleops hubs, that is if the discount for 2012 is still available, it would be cheaper than a quarq and get you a set of carbon clinchers.

Ride also carries Raleigh, Orbea & BH. I don't have to shop there either. I'm open to other brands and even ordering online. Though buying from our shop and having a place to take it when I discover a noise coming from something is nice.

SRAM/Shimano/Campy

It is like debating religion. everybody is going to have their belief that each one is proper. I am partial to SRAM, but then again, I've gotten good deals on SRAM equipment so I like it, and it fits my hands, its not perfect but I make it work. As for Shimano, some people love that, because it is built very well and will give you awesome shifting from now until the sun explodes if you don't crash it or treat it poorly. Campy is amazing, but expensive and you have to get it aftermarket because they refuse to be an OEM spec on bikes sold in the US.

Both Rival and Ultegra are awesome, and work for racing, especially if you're not looking for a sub 14lb bike.

The questions to ask yourself with SRAM/Shimano is:

Which shifting feels more intuitive?
Which hood/lever shape feels better in your hands?
Can you reach the lever from the drops, and does the shifting work for you?
Can you look at the bicycle and feel lust for it? If you need carbon on your bike, then maybe SRAM is what you need, but if you are a big Budweiser drinker and you want to know all those empties you made have gone to a good home Shimano may be right for you.

SRAM - in sprint shifting/value/weight leader, but some parts built close to design tolerances. The new Red is hailed as the best gruppo, period.
SHIMANO - Over engineered (in a good way), as per Reiner's comments; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe

The new RED single pivot brakes are annoying. Single pivot moves around and is hard to keep centered. But the brakes are very adjustable and powerful. Happy with them overall. Not worth anyone's time unless they're there to accommodate firecrest wheels, IMO. After a while, brakes are brakes. bikes are bikes!

In terms of bike parts, I try to split my expenses evenly between the Internet and my lbs. if you're a competent bike builder, you can save a ton of money gobbling up components on eBay and assembling the bike yourself. buying a used part that is relatively non-consumable (like shifters) is always a good move assuming they haven't been crashed.

If you had unlimited cash you'd probably get DI2, so I mention an eBay/DIY strategy to remind you that you can go a tier up with the same money if you're willing to invest the time and elbow grease.

I have miles on 5700/7800/7900 & old RED, and I am no longer a fan of brifters. I love the way SRAM shifts in the rear. Front can be good enough if you're a competent builder. Shimano obviously is of excellent quality and performance. Like anyone will tell you, try them out and see which one you like most.

For NYC races lightweight gear is rather superfluous, but I just like having the nicest shit, it's a horrible addiction I need to do something about!

Speedplay question:
I was practicing the hill finish in CP last night, full-on sprint, and my foot came out at bottom of stroke. A bit disconcerted, because potentially a crash scenario.

Wondering how do you know when to replace bits? What do you check for? Anyone else had similar issues? I usually put a bit of Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube on every couple of weeks (equivalent of Speedplay Lube).

P.S. Roll over and ride CP one night for kicks, I swear the Fredpocalypse is coming!

Posted By: John MalcolmsonSpeedplay question:
I was practicing the hill finish in CP last night, full-on sprint, and my foot came out at bottom of stroke. A bit disconcerted, because potentially a crash scenario.

Wondering how do you know when to replace bits? What do you check for? Anyone else had similar issues? I usually put a bit of Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube on every couple of weeks (equivalent of Speedplay Lube).

P.S. Roll over and ride CP one night for kicks, I swear the Fredpocalypse is coming!

• 

oh god. I better replace my cleats. Are fixed cleats superior to floating ones for sprinting? I use shimano I know nothing about speedplay.

@ John - thanks for the thoughts. With respect to speedplay bits, in addition to the dry lube, I typically take the cleat apart a couple of times a season and completely clean it with a tooth brush etc to get any gunk in there out and then reassemble. I was always impressed that the engagement between pedal and cleat was much better afterwards. I have also found that the finish line dry lube still picked up dirt and caused issues. I've been using the liquid wrench dry lube http://www.liquidwrench.com/products/#!/5 and like the results better. I think the suggested time to replace the cleat is about 5,000 miles. If the "bowtie" on the pedal body is worn you can get a replacement which will also help with the engagement.

@ Christian - I've been doing exactly what you suggested and been trolling ebay and craigslist for parts.

Now that I've stopped spinning from my loss I've decided that I'll get the Rival equiped CAAD 10 and pick up items off of ebay or online retailers. I'm looking for a used Force crank and am looking around for wheels. Right now I'm looking at Williams, Revolution and Neuvation as potential sources.

I'll deal with power later in the summer after more time to consider my options and look online for deals.

Posted By: John MalcolmsonSpeedplay question:
I was practicing the hill finish in CP last night, full-on sprint, and my foot came out at bottom of stroke. A bit disconcerted, because potentially a crash scenario.

Wondering how do you know when to replace bits? What do you check for? Anyone else had similar issues? I usually put a bit of Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube on every couple of weeks (equivalent of Speedplay Lube).

John,

There are plenty of pro sprinters who use speedplays I'm sure their website will have details on that - I find the bits that wear are the shoe cleats; specifically the springs. I probably go through 2/year (at 50 bucks a pop that doesn't make me happy) unless I lose a pair for a cycling legend

j

Hey Craig,

Sorry about your bike being stolen, it makes me sick to my stomach.