oval chainrings

Quoted message said:

Whatever happened to them?

Answering my own question: having just done a quick Google I discover that Bobby Julich used an oval chainring in a TT in Canada last year. Are they still in widespread use then?

davek said:

Whatever happened to them? Were they ever a good idea or
just another crazy gimmick? Who used one? I had completely
forgotten they ever existed until something I read the
other day reminded me of them.

Shimano BioPace was the most famous example. I think they
died out because the majority of users hated them. Felt
horrible to me.

Quoted message said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the mists
of time?

Quadrauple chainset

Recumbents :-)

~PB

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:58:52 +0100, in
<[email hidden]>, "Pete Biggs"

Quoted message said:

davek said:

Whatever happened to them? Were they ever a good idea or
just another crazy gimmick? Who used one? I had
completely forgotten they ever existed until something I
read the other day reminded me of them.

Shimano BioPace was the most famous example. I think they
died out because the majority of users hated them. Felt
horrible to me.

I seem to recall seeing something on Tomorrows World that
was a round chainring that was extendable to become oval.

Am I imagining things?

--
[email hidden] Personal Site: www.artybee.net (same
[censored], different layout) Sutton Brass :
www.suttonbrass.org.uk

Pete Biggs said:

Shimano BioPace was the most famous example. I think they
died out because the majority of users hated them. Felt
horrible to me.

My sister in law had an MTB with one on. To be quite honest
I couldn't tell any difference, so I suspect they died from
apathy at increased cost as much as anything else...

Quoted message said:

Recumbents :-)

Not so much "lost in the mists of cycling time" as
"obscured by a rather overbearing smoke machine operated by
the UCI" :-(

Other "you don't see those so much" would include handlebar
stem suspension. I was going to say Raleigh Choppers, but
I'm just about to be upstaged there...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Peter Clinch said:

Pete Biggs wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Shimano BioPace was the most famous example. I think they
died out because the majority of users hated them. Felt
horrible to me.

Quoted message said:

My sister in law had an MTB with one on. To be quite honest
I couldn't tell any difference, so I suspect they died from
apathy at increased cost as much as anything else...

Your girlfriend still has an old tourer with one (or two
actually) 😉 Was a special offer at the time when I was
putting my first bike together from various odds and ends. I
don't think I did notice much difference either, though I
have been very happy with that bike.

Roos

davek <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Whatever happened to them?

Quoted message said:

Answering my own question: having just done a quick
Google I discover that Bobby Julich used an oval
chainring in a TT in Canada last year. Are they still in
widespread use then?

I think Shimano reinvented the wheel when they introduced
'constant radius' chainrings.

I don't really think Biopace made any difference to the
way I rode.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

Richard Bates said:

I seem to recall seeing something on Tomorrows World that
was a round chainring that was extendable to become oval.

Am I imagining things?

No, there's one pictured in the third edition of
"Bicycling Science"

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Jon Senior said:

Shimano branded gearing. I never realised Shimano (Or
anyone for that matter) had tried quadruple.

AFAIK they didn't. It could be done with TA Cyclotouriste
and Stronglight 49D chainsets, by using longer bolts, but
that limited you to a 26T smallest ring.

At least two manufacturers - Qud and (IIRC) Avid - made
adapters for 74/110 mm chainsets, which allowed the use of a
freewheel sprocket as the fourth ring, and could thus have a
17T smallest ring. I know someone with a 17/34 bottom gear
on his Peer Gynt...

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

s/Qud/Quad, obv.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

In message <[email hidden]>, Helen Deborah
Vecht <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

davek <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Whatever happened to them?

Quoted message said:

Answering my own question: having just done a quick
Google I discover that Bobby Julich used an oval
chainring in a TT in Canada last year. Are they still in
widespread use then?

I think Shimano reinvented the wheel when they introduced
'constant radius' chainrings.

:-)

Chris Bell still seems to make his oval Eggrings (jolly nice
chainrings, even if you just get round ones)

<http://www.argonet.co.uk/highpath/cycle_/eggs.htm>

<X-Trace: 1080676336 mercury.nildram.net 65061 81.6.216.181

Quoted message said:

I don't really think Biopace made any difference to the
way I rode.

Thing about Biopace was that they got it the 'wrong' way
round, as compared to the general theory on oval chainrings
- the idea being that they are arranged such that you get a
lower gear effectively when pedalling through the 'deadspot'
at the top and bottom of the pedal circle.

See:

<http://www.argonet.co.uk/highpath/cycle_/ovals.htm#how>

--
Chris French, Leeds

davek said:

Whatever happened to them? Were they ever a good idea or
just another crazy gimmick? Who used one? I had completely
forgotten they ever existed until something I read the
other day reminded me of them.

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the
mists of time?

L-shaped cranks?

Regards! Stephen

Dave Larrington said:

Richard Bates said:

I seem to recall seeing something on Tomorrows World that
was a round chainring that was extendable to become oval.

Am I imagining things?

No, there's one pictured in the third edition of
"Bicycling Science"

I think I remember that episode of tomorrow's world - very
much a child of the 80's. But I thought it was some kind of
continuously variable gear.

AC

anonymous coward said:

Dave Larrington said:

Richard Bates said:

I seem to recall seeing something on Tomorrows World
that was a round chainring that was extendable to
become oval.

Am I imagining things?

No, there's one pictured in the third edition of
"Bicycling Science"

I think I remember that episode of tomorrow's world - very
much a child of the 80's. But I thought it was some kind
of continuously variable gear.

Yep, that's the one. IIRC it was invented by Frank Whitt (co-
author of earlier editions of "Bicycling Science"😉, and
expanded along one axis to increase its circumference,
thereby providing a larger chainring. The Deal Drive of the
early/mid-Eighties did something similar, but expanded the
like a camera shutter so as not to leave the rider with an
outrageously oval chainring in top gear.

Neither achieved production, though I think the Deal Drive
came close - I remember John Kingsbury had a commuter HPV on
the drawing board ready to use it as soon as it was
available.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the
mists of time?

Plastic headsets.

John B

Dave Larrington said:

anonymous coward said:

Dave Larrington said:

Richard Bates wrote:

> I seem to recall seeing something on Tomorrows World
> that was a round chainring that was extendable to
> become oval.
>
> Am I imagining things?

No, there's one pictured in the third edition of
"Bicycling Science"

I think I remember that episode of tomorrow's world -
very much a child of the 80's. But I thought it was some
kind of continuously variable gear.

Yep, that's the one. IIRC it was invented by Frank Whitt
(co-author of earlier editions of "Bicycling Science"😉,
and expanded along one axis to increase its circumference,
thereby providing a larger chainring. The Deal Drive of
the early/mid-Eighties did something similar, but expanded
the like a camera shutter so as not to leave the rider
with an outrageously oval chainring in top gear.

Hmmnn... Google finds nothing, for once - on the deal drive,
and almost gets a whack on Frank Whitt and chainwheels.
Presumably it had to move in little steps, or else you'd get
some slack chain between the chainwheels?

Quoted message said:

Neither achieved production, though I think the Deal Drive
came close - I remember John Kingsbury had a commuter HPV
on the drawing board ready to use it as soon as it was
available.

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 13:42:07 GMT, in
<[email hidden]>, davek

Quoted message said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the
mists of time?

I think with the recent boom in white LEDs it would be
quite an appropriate time to place flashing green LEDs in
this category.

--
[email hidden] Personal Site: www.artybee.net (same
[censored], different layout) Sutton Brass :
www.suttonbrass.org.uk

davek said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the mists
of time?

What about Shimano's Front Freewheel System (aptly
titled FFS!)?

This put the freewheel in the BB for the advantage that the
chain never stops moving, hence you can change your
derailleur gears when not pedalling.

JohnB <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the
mists of time?

Quoted message said:

Plastic headsets.

Quoted message said:

John B

Plastic bicycles! (The Itera)

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What other cycling innovations have been lost in the
mists of time?

Touring bicycles?