anyone add Absolute Black oval inner chainring to Praxis?

[kode54]

i'm interested in changing the Praxis inner 36T chainring to an AbsoluteBlack 36T oval chainring.

would this work, given that Praxis says that both 52/36T chainrings are paired? just wondering if anyone has done this and how the shifting is?

http://absoluteblack.cc/oval-road-110-5 ... chainring/

[mariovalentim]

wait so you'll have a "normal" round outer ring and an oval inner ring? that doesn't seem right

[wheelsONfire]

Why not? AB says the chainrings benefit is mostly when climbing.
Just ask AB and see what they say.

[kode54]

i asked AbsoluteBlack and they responded quickly regarding this.

they said even with the Praxis matched 'round' rings, swapping out the inner ring to an oval one will work without any FD adjustment. i may just try this and see if it improves my hill climbing.
doesn't hurt to try.

[tonytourist]

I was contemplating ordering a 34 and trying the same thing, please post back with your feedback!

[renoracing]

Kode54, I'm on the Praxis 52/36 rings now and I too and thinking of swapping just the inner ring for the 36t Absolute Black. Everything I've read sounds like it's a direct swap. Looking forward to seeing if the "hype" is justified!

[kode54]

Kode54, I'm on the Praxis 52/36 rings now and I too and thinking of swapping just the inner ring for the 36t Absolute Black. Everything I've read sounds like it's a direct swap. Looking forward to seeing if the "hype" is justified!

same here. good way to try only 'half' and see if i like it or helps me improve my pedal stroke. i won't be able to test it out since there's so much snow and salt on the roads right now.

[headwind816]

Officially subscribed to this thread to learn more how well switching out the inner to an oval style impacts shifting.

kode54 - you keep referencing snow; are you in the US northeastern region? I am in the DC area and have been unable to ride for way too long now. I am hoping the 16* C highs on Monday and Tuesday melts it away.

[Marin]

I'm pretty sure the inner ring has no influence on shifting.

[kode54]

Officially subscribed to this thread to learn more how well switching out the inner to an oval style impacts shifting.

kode54 - you keep referencing snow; are you in the US northeastern region? I am in the DC area and have been unable to ride for way too long now. I am hoping the 16* C highs on Monday and Tuesday melts it away.

yes. knee deep...but warm temps are starting the melt down. i may try to do a few hill repeats. the snow is making riding dangerous due to partially plowed streets. no real shoulder to speak of.
i will try to get out mon and tues as well. i ordered the inner chainring since it requires no alteration to the FD or anything else. just bolt and go. i won't really get real world testing without a group ride in reference to current abilities. that's the true test.

[t3racing]

Have you got the new chainring yet, very interested to find out if the hype is justified as i want to replace 53/39 for a compact setup.

[kode54]

i got the inner chain ring. as i mentioned...i want to try it first on the inner since i don't have to do any adjustments...then decide whether or not i will change outer. it was good thing to repack grease in my BB and clean it out since i've been riding in crappy weather...mainly wet, so gritty and salt from snow melt and runoff. its all fitted and in place. the machining is spot on and fit perfectly. i tested it on the bike stand and shifts good...although hard to tell without any torque on it. i put it on my AX Vial EVO with THM M3 cranks and Stronglight rings. outer ring is 52T and i only changed the inner 36T. with winds kicking up and temps dropping to 0 degrees soon, i haven't been out for a test ride. a lot of runoff is black ice...a cyclists nightmare.

[kode54]

I'm pretty sure the inner ring has no influence on shifting.

correct. changes from small ring to large with no issues on Stronglight ramp up pins. shifting seems very smooth despite the oval inner ring. have yet to try it out due to black ice and subzero temps out.

[MichaelB]

I'm very interested too, as planning a two week trip to Italy/France in July this year.

But at A$100 by the time it is shipped to Australia, it's not real cheap, so would need some feedback on whether it makes a difference or not.

Standing by to standby

[jrmynthn]

Earlier this year I put an order in with Absolute Black for the 34T oval inner ring. It's the new 110/4 BCD for 11sp Shimano. There is also a full writeup and review on my blog here The blog also has a video in slow motion so you can see the oval in action. I can make one of the inner ring shifting if you think it would be beneficial to the community.

Bottom line. It was easy to install, does not feel out of place, shows no significant negative impacts to shifting, and no dropped chains. It feels natural and I haven't experienced any knee pain but didn't have any before installing either.

j