Upgrading My Bikes. Rotor INSPIDER Power Meter And Q Rings

In this video I make a couple of changes to my bikes, namely fitting a ROTOR INSPIDER power meter and Q rings to both my road and xc bike. Some of my best results were achieved on Rotor Q Rings and I have been really keen to get them back on my bikes.
Please also drop your questions down below for a Christmas time Q&A
For all enquiries, please do not hesitate to drop me an email. [e-mail]
My Details
Chris Opie
178cm
76-79kgs
For coaching enquiries please follow this link www.aero-coach.co.uk/coaching
All of the following equipment is available from saintpiranprocycling.com/shop
Bike Details
Electric Mountain Bike:
Frame : Size Large eZesty AM FULL CARBON ULTIMATE 150mm travel
Fork : FOX 36 FLOAT FACTORY KASHIMA BOOST 15x110 160mm
Shock Absorber : FOX FLOAT DPS FACTORY KASHIMA LV EVOL TRUNNION
Motor / Battery / Display : FAZUA EVATION 1.0 DRIVE PACK + 250Wh BATTERY PACK
Rear derailleur : SRAM X01 CARBON EAGLE 12SPD
Crankset : FSA CARBON e-Bike ISIS 170MM w/SRAM XSYNC II 32T RING
Sprocket : SRAM PG1230 EAGLE 11-50 12SPD
Chain : SRAM NX EAGLE 12SPD
Brakes : SRAM GUIDE RE
Discs : SRAM CENTERLINE 200/200
Shifters / Brake levers : SRAM GX EAGLE MATCHMAKER SINGLE CLICK 12SPD
Headset : FSA ORBIT ZERO STACK
Handlebar : RACE FACE SIXC CARBON 20MMx785MM
Grips : LP Grips ''FIT'', (Size Small on (M) / Size Large on (L, XL))
Stem : LP FULL CNC 0° 35MM (M, L), 45MM (XL)
Seatpost : LP CARBON DROPPER 125(M), 150 (L, XL)
Saddle : Lapierre CRMO by Velo
Wheelset : LP eAM+ CARBON 584x33 BOOST, TUBELESS READY
Tires : MAXXIS HIGH ROLLER II WIDE TRAIL 27.5x2.5 WT 3C MAXXTERRA EXO FRONT and REAR
MTB:
Frame and Shock: Size Large Lapierre XR 29" FULL CARBON ULTIMATE 100mm travel FOX FLOAT DPS FACTORY KASHIMA 2 POSITION REMOTE 190X40 220psi
Fork: FOX 32 STEP CAST FACTORY KASHIMA ORANGE 29" BOOST 100MM 80psi
Bar: FSA SLK CARBON FLAT W: 740mm Ø: 31.8mm
Stem: LAPIERRE ALLOY 7° 60mm
Seatpost: Lapierre Carbon 400mm
Groupset: SRAM XX1 EAGLE BLACK CARBON 12 Spd 10-50t Rear
Wheels: LAPIERRE CARBON XC 29'' BOOST
Brakes: SRAM LEVEL TLM 180mm/fr/160mm/rear
Crankset: SRAM XX1 EAGLE BLACK CARBON DUB 38 tooth ring
Tyres: Maxxis Ikon/Maxxis Ardent
Saddle Height: 740 mm
Weight: 10.5 kgs
ROAD:
Bars: FSA 420mm
Cranks: Rotor InPower 172.5mm
Frame: Colnago Concept Disc (Size 50s)
Groupset: Ultegra Di2 + Ceramicspeed OSPW
Saddle: Fizik Arione
Stem: FSA 130mm
Tyres: Hutchinson Fusion 5 Tubeless (28mm 70 psi)
Wheels: RSP Calavera 35mm Carbon (Featured here with Aerocoach Aeox Zephyr)
Saddle height 75.5cm
My Kit
Jersey: Castelli Aero Race 6.0 (size M)
Helmet: Met Trenta (Size M)
Shoes: Bont Helix (Size 45)
Shorts: Castelli Aero Race 4 Bib (Size M)
Cameras: Insta360 ONE R & Gopro Hero 5 Black
Me
Instagram: / chrisopie87. .
Facebook: / chrisopiecyc. .
Strava: / strava
Twitter: / chrisopie87
Please visit our shop.
Saint Piran: saintpiranprocycling.com/shop
Instagram: / . .

[@SioLazer]

your indoor trainer sessions with GCN were some of my favorite :)

[@joebaker5421]

Glad I found you. Really missed you on GCN

[@JUSSTTIINFU3K]

Great video, looking forward to the q&a.

[@richycoles]

Keep cool. Have a great Christmas. Great videos really informative. 👍

[@Jolinator]

Great video Chris and thanks for answering my question in your last Q/A. Love the rs6.

[@MrSPM47]

Merry Christmas to you and the family. Hopefully a better cycling New Year.

[@killnme6212]

Merry Xmas! There isn’t anything that is to boring or been done! I’d love to see more content from you. Your spin, take, or personality will make it great!

[@stephenmorris6202]

Thank goodness you are affected by the weather also. Had been feeling guilty. Anyway good video. Unlikely to try q rings but will be v interested to see how you get on. Your videos have been a big plus in a challenging year. Happy Christmas to you and the family and good health for the New Year (and to al your subscribers also).

[@simondavies2717]

Chris - so many thanks for your 2020 content. Great to see you forging a path after GCN. Keep up the authentic style & best wishes for 2021.

[@chrisopie87]

Thank you Simon!

[@nathanielmartin4800]

Just got my rotor aldhu crankset and Qrings. I can't wait to try mine out. The video from a year ago is what peaked my interest in the Q rings.

[@voiceofreason9780]

Bit of a long one for the Q and A: Can you please go over basic sprinting technique (out on the road) for amateurs that want to go fast(er). Thanks!

[@ianburton4226]

1304 watts!😮

[@mmh-1307]

Loving the videos Chris! So awesome to find your channel - have missed your charm and content! Need to see you do a ride/video with Cycling GK - Ben Foster!! Please... 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@leighharwood9415]

Another great video Chris .. those power numbers 😳 Ollie Bridgewood had around 850 watt 5 second power and your 500 watts more for 20 seconds, seriously impressive. Talking of ollie.. question 1 - are you still in touch with the GCN guys and would you go back once you've finished racing? 2. If you could only do one indoor training session what would you say give the most bang for your bucks? Cheers .. hope you and the family have a great Christmas and a successful 2021 🎅🍻

[@jasonmarchant1607]

Hey Chris - I put oval chain rings on my road bike 2 years ago (TA Specialities) and I’ve never wanted to go back. I think the advantage is efficiency over time (I’m stronger later into a ride) and what Jan Heine from Bicycle Quarterly calls ‘planing’ ... oval chainrings like a frame with flex and stiffness done right means that it doesn’t feel like you are pushing against a brick wall when you hit a certain power output level - which ultimately fatigues the legs. You want the tool to work efficiently regardless of power output. Anyway, highly recommend his new book The All-Road Bike Revolution by Jan Heine. Happy Holidays to you and family !!!

[@leeasy7112]

Oval chainrings are basically a front derailleur that shifts up and down constantly, it tricks your legs into believing you are capable of putting down more power than your limits. It works, however, it messes your knees up after prolong rides. Would not recommend using oval chainrings for daily riding.

[@Verysimpleyetverydifficult]

Another good video. It strikes me that above all, you simply love riding your bikes. I wonder if the same is true for most pro cyclists... I mean they probably all start out that way, but when I watch the tour there seems to be a lot of stress and focus on competitiveness...do you think the love can go a little bit when it’s ‘your job’? Not sure if motivation and consistency would be a good Q&A topic?

[@markstephenson6525]

Hi Chris great video and miss your out on the bike content. I have a quick question regarding training which I and I'm sure many other people would benefit from your thoughts on. Would you suggest that down structured training would be beneficial to a road cyclist who can only train on a Saturday and Sunday, and if so what would you suggest. Goal is to increase FTP and my weight per kilo. Cheers

[@Tom-nn9ey]

Hi Chris

[@harrie974]

Hi Chris, I’m using Rotor Q-rings for the last 10 years with good results. I started with ocp 3, but when I upgraded to an inPower meter I did the ocp test, using Rotor’s software with the setup still on ocp 3. It suggested ocp 5! When I changed it to 5, I had a knee problem right after the first ride. I did the test again, now with round rings, and the result was between 1 and 2. So apparently, the outcome of the test is influenced by the rings you have on the cranks. I’ve asked Rotor about this, but they did not have an explanation. Maybe nice for you to do a new test when you’re on the indoor trainer? To use the inPower software with the Q-rings on and see if the outcome is different (higher?). I’m back at 3 now and it feels good. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Holland.

[@mathis12racing55]

Hi Chris, do you recommend riding the same number of teeth on q-rings as you would on standard rings? Or maybe q rings require you to go a few teeth below what you would have on standard rings? Cheers

[@Martin-ls9bz]

Hi Chris. How do these numbers stack up against your best? How much do you expect to improve by race season ?

[@d.dougwiseman6694]

Greetings Chris, Enjoy your content and character. Being almost 50 I feel I'm behind on mechanic skills. Always a little nervous to put different components on bikes. Do you feel that changing parts, etc, such as you did in this video is not super technical? On a totally different question. I remember watching GCN video when you did the Leadville 100. Would you do something like that in the near future or is that different type of training? Mucho Gracias Chris and Merry Holiday Season!

[@christophermick5773]

Chris I'm contemplating a power meter, currently running new sram red and loth to mess with it too much, any suggestions most welcome. Cheers Chris M

[@21bigdom]

im ridng 172.5 mm rotor cranks, would you recommend switching to 170mm ? im 183cm 72kg i ride around 200-300km every week, consisting of one long endurance ride of about 150-160k each weekend and then depending on the weather try to fit in a few shorter rides during the week. would be interested in your opinion as to whether it is something i should consider playing about with. thanks in advance love your videos

[@barefootdogwalker1402]

how you find running compared to cycling?

[@jameszibura]

About 12 inches of snow on the ground and 25° freedom / -4° C here. needless to say I've been trying to smash my indoor training on a old turbo set up. I've been doing 30sec-1min max efforts with a 2 minute recovery as a main course, about 3 times a week. Days in between I've just hopped on an spun the legs for an hour. I want to diversify my training. However I've been out of work since October and don't have the cash to splash on a power meter. Would you have any suggestions for more endurance training?

[@lorddilego6805]

First Why do you think the Q-rings make your quads burn less?

[@johnpaulstez]

Hi Chris, I’ve been using Q rings for many years now and it helps my knees. My understanding is that other power meters report power incorrectly with non-round rings. Does the Rotor PM app have a setting for using oval Q rings vs round to compensate for this? Thank you.

[@happyharry7331]

Didn't Bradley Wiggins use them at one time then go back to ordinary rings ?

[@dailowhui]

after sometime, do you have any problem with the aldhu systems? I did some research on KZbin, said that there will be problem for drive side crank successfully clamping tight to both axie and power meter, causing some slick.

[@chazpilks]

Interestingly I use Q rings on my winter bike (inherited bike) & don’t notice a huge difference. I know I should...

[@mateagoston8145]

How often do you ride TT bikes or at least in TT position? Are you thinking of putting TT bars on your road bike and getting a TT helmet. I know they are illegal on official road races, but they could make average training rides/fun rides a lot more fun by completing them at a lot higher average speeds.

[@josephlund9748]

How does the power meter cope in winter miles?

[@chrisopie87]

Absolutely perfectly, I have ridden in some of the worst conditions I have ever experienced this winter. Impressed so far!

[@Hardcaslte]

How do people need weeks to get used to these rings? I put an oval ring on my MTB (OneUp brand in this case) and immediately fell in love. I mean I turned the corner on my road and was like "Yup, this is amazing". I went on my second ride around the neighborhood tonight and can't get enough of it, the power stroke is soooooo long and you don't even feel the transition stroke over the top/bottom. I know technically they aren't meant to put out more power (Although you did in this case, and I didn't have a power meter before getting my ovals so I don't know on my previous sprints), but you feel like you're just smashing power through the pedals. I do feel though in big power moves like a full sprint I may or may not be putting out a higher max wattage, but I can hold the watts higher for a longer amount of time because that power stroke is so much longer on this oval ring. It's ironic that you realize how you aren't pedaling a perfect circle until you get a chain ring that isn't a perfect circle. Man I love how smooth it is. I'm looking for Rotor 2x for my road bike now because even after one ride on my MTB I'm immediately in love with it.

[@mjsylver]

how about free zwift workouts posted for us old slow guys who want to drop 30 lbs.