Effect of chainring ovality on joint power during cycling at different workloads and cadences.

Non-circular chainrings theoretically enhance cycling performance by increasing effective chainring diameter and varying crank velocity, but research has failed to consistently reproduce the benefits in cycling trials. The aim of this study was (1) to investigate the effect of different chainring shapes on sagittal knee joint moment and sagittal lower limb joint powers and (2) to investigate whether alterations are affected by cadence and workload. Fourteen elite cyclists cycled in six conditions (70, 90 and 110 rpm, each at 180 and 300 W), for 2 min each, using three chainrings of different ovalities (1.