Awhile back, Patrick was selected as a brand ambassador for a really rad company called absoluteBLACK. They specialize in creating oval chainrings for bikes of all shapes and sizes.
And perhaps my favorite thing of being someone's partner, is sharing in their excitement when something cool happens to them. So naturally, I asked him to let me take pictures of how GREAT the new chain ring looks on his bike.
absoluteBLACK offers a variety of colors for their product, which is convenient since I've found cyclists to be some of the most finicky and aesthetic driven people when it comes to their bike. (not hating, I'm quickly becoming one of them, too!)
Patrick selected the red chain ring for his new bike, a Stradalli frame with Boyd carbon wheels that he'll be using for cross season. He's great at obsessing over the smallest details on his bikes, which always turn out looking amazing in the end result.
As far as the science behind oval chainrings, studies have been done at major universities throughout the country, concluding that, unlike traditional round rings, the oval design works better with the body to transmit power more evenly with each pedal. That means riders are able to generate and maintain higher power levels.
After about a month of riding with these new chain rings, testing out all sorts of different terrain, Patrick has said that he can definitely back up the company's claims on their performance.
Living in the city, maneuvering around traffic, means that just when you get up a good cadence, you're guaranteed to hit a red light. However, with absoluteBLACK's chain rings, he is able to pick up his speed again in no time. And as someone who is consistently riding with him, I can vouch that on this bike, he takes off.
It's not only on the road that he's seen a major difference. He bought the Stradalli as his cyclocross bike so, naturally, he's been testing it out on all sorts of gravel, mud, and grass trails. No matter what terrain he's on, the effects from the chain ring holds true. I'm excited for him to get further into his training, and for that spring rain to come and make our training all the more fun.
He stands behind absoluteBLACK to the point that he's currently planning to switch over all of his bikes to these oval chainrings...on top of the million other upgrades he's currently saving up for, of course.
