I had ordered myself a new MTB crank a couple days ago and it arrived at the shop today so I went in to install it, with a 40 km ride planned after. The crank is the new Rotor 3D crank with the 40-27 double chainring combo. The crank is around the weight of an XTR triple and if your a ball'r there's a version with a ti spindle that's 40 grams lighter for twice the cash. I already had the Q-rings on my road bike and liked how they felt, so I was stoked to have them on my mountain bike. If you didn't already know what a Q-ring's are, they are oval shaped chainrings that when positioned properly will simulate a smaller chainring in the deadspot of your pedalstroke and a larger one in the down/up stroke. This means that you will be in the high power output part of your pedalstroke longer, and that you will be able to put out a more steady power- which means better traction. Some will say that these rings won't shift well because of their shape, but believe me they shift just as well as any shimano rings, there is just less room for error in the position of your front derailleur.
The crank performed very well on the trails and I love the double chainring combo. I felt like I could stay in the 40T for pretty much anything, but had to use the 27T for a few steep climbs, and a couple slick spots. I feel like in most O-cups I will be able to keep my chain in the middle of my cassette, and just switch between chainrings for climbing vs. flats/downhills. Simple is good, and a double crank definitely simplifies your drivetrain.
With what looks to be another nice weekend ahead I have decided to head to Mansfield with the Mid-Pack Rider to race the WOW winter enduro. I have never done this race before but Have done 3 others at Mansfield and love the trails there. They are fast and flowy with a sandy surface twisting through a beautiful forest. I didn't plan on doing this race in advance but I've been itching to race since FallFest at Holiday Valley and had to give in. It'll be fun time no matter what goes down.
Sweet! I was on Q-rings all this year on my road and cross bikes, and definitely liked them. I'm going to go back to round for awhile, but it's not for any lack of performance with the Q-rings.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've been running a 40/27 double on my mtb for awhile now and like it a lot. With the 29er, a 44t big ring is useless anyway, and like most racers the 22t is too low. This left me never really happy sitting in the 32t so I've pretty much run a double since I got the 29er. I'm going to run a Dura-Ace front derailleur this year to lighten things up and hopefully improve shifting a bit too.
Have fun at the WOW. I hear the chili after is great.