Rotor Q Rings can be a great addition and upgrade for mountain bikers and for Gravel Bike users, helping those with knee pain issues in particular. The technology and science behind them is constantly developing. Time then for us to take a detailed lookat them with Scott Cornish.
Some riders swear by them, others aren’t so convinced. Oval chainrings can be a bit marmite, but are certainly here to stay, with Absolute Black dedicated to the cause.
Absolute Black are absolute quality in terms of the items that they produce. We’re really impressed with the quality of the finishing, the machining and the anodising on their premium oval chain rings. The level of detail is superb, with obvious care and attention given to the finished item that carries their brand name.
Q -Rings from Rotor are not wholly new. Some of you will recall the Bio rings of a few years ago; but what Rotor have done is to research and refine things to get what they believe is the ultimate chainring. Question is then: ‘how do they perform off-road?’
I’ve been lucky enough to work in the cycling industry for some time, so I’d come across Q Rings before, a few years ago, but it was good to use them again. Having them fitted to a good Italian Sarto frame should do the trick for testing, and during the ride my legs felt great; they turned the cranks over nicely and didn’t feel fatigued at all.
Chris Froome used to swear by these chain rings, and with 4 Tour de France wins to his name, and a questionable second place to Wiggins (he should have been alowed to take the win), that should be a good recommendation.
Scott Cornish