History Repeats (Again!)

Cycling is a funny business. Not unlike many other pursuits, the bicycle world is always looking for the latest gizmos to help separate cyclists from their money. While the basic design of the modern road bike hasn't changed in well over 100 years, component innovations occur at an unbelievable pace.

O.Symetric - one of the more radical chain ring designs out there.

One of the cycling innovations I came across recently are the ovalized chain rings that have been out for awhile from Rotor-Q and O.Symetric. These companies claim that their new products reduce the pedaling "dead zone" while increasing power output and reduce knee pain.

When I saw these new products I was immediately reminded of the old Biopace chain ring system that was marketed by Shimano in the 1980's. At the time I seem to recall that the Biopace system didn't really stand the test of time and was eventually dismissed as more of a fad than a legitimate innovation.

Biopace - the one that started eliptical chain rings - far less radical than the O.Symetric Design

 While the Biopace rings faded into the sunset, the companies selling these new wattage-boosting chain rings provide lots of data to support their claims for improved rider performance. Team Sky ran the O.Symetric chain rings last season and Bradley Wiggins seems to have been pleased with his results after using them.

The concept for these rings is pretty intriguing to me. If I happen to come across a bike with these rings that has some Keo pedals I might see if I can talk my way into a test ride.