AbsoluteBlack Premium Sub-Compact Oval 110/4 chainrings

We've seen various brands delivering smaller chainrings on their gravel groupsets and now absoluteBlack has brought non-round options to the marketplace with its Premium Sub-Compact Oval 110/4 chainrings in 46/30 and 48/32-tooth combinations. They are top notch when it comes to build quality and also for the performance of the shifting from small to large and back again.

As the gravel/adventure bike scene has increased in popularity, one of the most hotly contested topics is what gearing ratios are most suitable. A compact road chainset (50/34T) is considered too big by some, and with few other options available until now, many brands and riders have gone down the single chainring route.

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I prefer a double chainset, and a close-ratio cassette paired to it, so I'm glad to see many brands, including Shimano, offering much smaller chainring pairings. Taking things even further, though, absoluteBlack's new 46/30 and 48/32-tooth rings (we have the latter on test) also bring the benefits of being oval.

I've used oval chainrings many times over the years, most noticeably when I was time-trialling. If you haven't come across them before, the theory is that the rings are smaller in diameter at the point where your legs are going through the 'dead spot', the in-between bit where you go from pushing to pulling on the pedals. In the part of the rotation where you are putting the most power into the pedals, the chainring behaves like one of a bigger diameter, one with more teeth if you like. This means that you can get the power down where you are most efficient and have a slightly easier time of it through the zones where you aren't – TDC (top dead centre), for instance, as you pass through the highest/lowest point of the pedalling circle.

To get this ovality in the best position, absoluteBlack has positioned the point that you'll be using the larger part of the ring at 108 degrees (32T) and 110.5 degrees (48T) after TDC.

I found the whole motion very smooth and natural, especially when climbing, and particularly on long, draggy climbs on gravel tracks. They'll work well for days in the mountains or loaded audax riding too.

In terms of compatibility, you have plenty of options, including Shimano, FSA, Praxis Alba and Zayante, S-Works and some SRAM chainsets.

This setup I used is for the latest Ultegra chainset. I swapped the rings out for the standard ones that had only covered about 500 miles, so brand new really. After a little tweak of the front mech height everything was ready to go.

I was really impressed to find that the shifting between the absoluteBlack rings was barely indistinguishable from Shimano's offerings, no matter where in the pedalling rotation I was.

The only slight negative is that because of the way these rings fit to the crank, you can't add any cosmetic bolt covers like you can with many aftermarket rings. This means the overall look of the chainset and rings isn't as aesthetically pleasing as with the standard Ultegra rings.

> How to get ultra-low gearing for your gravel bike adventures

I covered about 400 miles on these rings during the test period, so it is still very early days, but durability looks good. The anodising has barely a mark on it, so I don't see the 7075 series aluminium wearing out any quicker than on other chainrings.

The CNC (computer numerical controlled) machining detailing on both the front and rear of the large chainring not only looks cool, it also reduces a bit of weight. The 48T ring comes in at 110g, while the 32T is 30g, plus another 7.3g for the specific bolts.

Compatibility-wise, this is the only combination you can use – 46/30 or 48/32 – so although you purchase them separately you are looking at £175.98 for the pair including bolts.

Not cheap, but comparable to the Specialites TA Ovalution 4 Arm chainrings Liam recently tested at £173.96. That does include the bolt covers, though, and a braze-on mech adaptor that was needed.

Conclusion

Aesthetics aside, I really like the absoluteBlack chainrings – the shifting is really good, and the benefits of the lower gearing and smooth pedalling style they produce works really well on gravel. It's an investment, but one that is worthwhile.

Verdict

A welcome addition to lower gearing ratios for road and gravel for those who are fans of oval chainrings