Anyone actually have experience riding Biopace eliptical chainrings?
My knees have gone south in my mid 40's. I'm now 50. I've had a 1985 Schwinn Tempo with the Biopace for the past 10 ys. I don't notice it and after a long ride, my knees feel pretty good. I actually feel better when I cyclocommute, lift wts and walk(I'm a guard), than on those days I don't ride.
Sheldon Brown says Biopace is good. Some bike mechanics and others who haven't used a Biopace say its bad.
I used BioPace for years. It came on my 91 Schwinn. The only time I noticed a difference was at a high cadence and maybe that was just bad technique. And maybe, just maybe, there was a little more torque in the hills. As far as the knees go, I experience a patellar tracking problem (left knee) with both styles of chainrings.
I still have a good condition 42t biopace. I used it a couple of times, and its sweet spot is 80 cadence. It makes a difference in the hills on a low gear because that is when you pedal in the style which it is designed for.
No idea about the health benefits of it (if any), but I rode them for a while about 14 years ago. Never could get used to them and gladly switched to the standard circular rings. Biopace has such a . . . different . . . feel to them. Perhaps someone could get used to them and actually prefer them, but not me.
I accumulated 3000 miles on my Biopace, during two summers of commuting. I can't say either way, as to whether it helped me. I'm reasonably certain though...I suffered no ill effects.
