For two or three years I had elliptical chainrings on my road bike. I never did any kind of scientific comparison between elliptical and round rings, so I can't say, definitively, if they helped my performance. My seat of the pants conclusion was that they did help on climbs, and riding against a headwind, and possibly pushing a big gear on a long flat stretch. They were a detriment on high speed downhills or riding with a strong tailwind.
I've been considering getting "traction rings" for my new mountain bike. They work on the same principal, that you produce more power on the downstroke, but for the purpose of not losing traction on each pedal stroke. Seems pretty obvious that they would also have the same performance advantages if any exist, of elliptical chainrings on road bikes.
So, my question is, have any of you tried traction rings and do you feel there are benefits in either traction or speed?
I've been considering getting "traction rings" for my new mountain bike. They work on the same principal, that you produce more power on the downstroke, but for the purpose of not losing traction on each pedal stroke. Seems pretty obvious that they would also have the same performance advantages if any exist, of elliptical chainrings on road bikes.
So, my question is, have any of you tried traction rings and do you feel there are benefits in either traction or speed?
