Shifting 30/46 Absolute Black oval gravel chainrings

[NeauDL]

Video on the Absolute Black website indicates these subcompact rings will shift up from 30 to 46 with the front derailleur considerably higher than usual, i.e. about 5 mm from the outer chainring teeth rather than the usual 12 mm. The 46-tooth outer ring has four ramps to assist shifting. Like so many of us with 11-speed road bikes with a fixed ("braze on") front derailleur bracket designed to work with 50-tooth and larger outer chainrings, I can't get the front derailleur low enough to sit just above a 46-tooth ring.

Shifting in the video looks great, but it's on a work stand and not under load. If anyone on this forum has experience with these subcompact rings on a road bike, please share your observations, specifically re shifting.

(I have about 15,000 miles on Q rings so I'm familiar with elliptical chainrings in general, but my experience with pinned round chainrings (including Dura Ace and Praxis) has been poor unless the front derailleur is positioned immediately above the outer chainring. I also have experience using mountain cassettes on road bikes, but the more options for getting low gears, the better. I have no experience with Absolute Black or Wickwerks, which also has substantial ramps for shifting up.)

[livingminimal]

Video on the Absolute Black website indicates these subcompact rings will shift up from 30 to 46 with the front derailleur considerably higher than usual, i.e. about 5 mm from the outer chainring teeth rather than the usual 12 mm. The 46-tooth outer ring has four ramps to assist shifting. Like so many of us with 11-speed road bikes with a fixed ("braze on") front derailleur bracket designed to work with 50-tooth and larger outer chainrings, I can't get the front derailleur low enough to sit just above a 46-tooth ring.

Shifting in the video looks great, but it's on a work stand and not under load. If anyone on this forum has experience with these subcompact rings on a road bike, please share your observations, specifically re shifting.

(I have about 15,000 miles on Q rings so I'm familiar with elliptical chainrings in general, but my experience with pinned round chainrings (including Dura Ace and Praxis) has been poor unless the front derailleur is positioned immediately above the outer chainring. I also have experience using mountain cassettes on road bikes, but the more options for getting low gears, the better. I have no experience with Absolute Black or Wickwerks, which also has substantial ramps for shifting up.)

Ive been running these rings on di2 with 11-34 cassettes on road, gravel, etc.

I love the rings. I really do. The shifting has been fine, all be it not as "perfect" as round rings, its pretty close. My only complaint is that I already bent two teeth, causing some problems with overshifting, and I have been too lazy to do the warranty process.

It takes some fine tuning to set up, but once they do...I love them. I dont feel like I lose much in the way of top end.

[Davist]

2nd hand, my riding buddy just got the 30/46 set and as above, he loves it. Really a feat of engineering making a 30 or 32 fit where only a 34T round would. Shifting works well, he said it took a bit of tinkering to get where he wanted (he has a "regular" absolute black oval 36/52 on his road bike too)

[distanc3]

On a side note, anyone have experience using just the inner rings with a 46 stock/round ring?

[livingminimal]

On a side note, anyone have experience using just the inner rings with a 46 stock/round ring?

Per AB it wont work, but who knows if you could make it happen.

[Look585]

Both rings are offset 6mm inboard so that the chain clears the "ears" of the crank spider in the 30t ring. Using just the 30 will not work.

As an aside, "Doval" has copied(ish) this design and is marketing 46/30 rings for 110bcd spiders.

4-arm 110bcd (https://www.ebay.com/itm//263938187426)

5-arm 110bcd (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263937940305)

Warning: They are ugly!

[cachagua]

Doesn't Problem Solvers sell a braze-on extender that'd allow you to move the front derailleur downwards? That would open up a wealth of sub-compact and micro-drive cranks for you...

Actually I just made that up. Never seen or heard of such a thing in my life. But as many of us as there are struggling with this issue, somebody SHOULD make one, if they don't!

[Waldo]

On a side note, anyone have experience using just the inner rings with a 46 stock/round ring?

I tried the opposite -- Rotor oval outer and round inner -- and it sucked eggs. No manner of front derailleur adjustment could keep the chain from dropping inside the small ring. On a double century, I dropped the chain at least a half dozen times before figuring out a way to feather the inward shift while soft-pedaling, which worked about 80% of the time. With round outer and oval inner YMMV, obviously.