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Ochain Chainring Spider
(discontinued)

Vital Rating:
Discontinued
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c70 Ochain Nero for Ingrid direct mount cranks
c70 Ochain 6 9 12 elastomers
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Ochain
Chainrings
Tested
Suspension
Cranks
Where To Buy
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Ochain's Active Spider Eliminates Pedal Kickback - REVIEW
Want the super-smooth feel of riding chainless while still being able to pedal? This clever device offers a unique solution.
Rating:
Vital Review

If you've ever ridden a full-suspension bike without a chain, you likely noticed an improvement in its suspension performance. After watching some incredible chainless downhill runs on the UCI World Cup circuit, this Italian brand dreamt up a way to provide the benefits of riding without a chain, with a chain. 

On many bikes, chainstay growth during suspension compression causes the crankset to rotate counter-clockwise. This is also known as pedal kickback. By allowing some spring-loaded rotational movement within a reimagined chainring spider, the Ochain device is claimed to automatically isolate your transmission from your suspension while descending. We're joined by Vital tester, MTB Savant, in the video above for an in-depth review and his ride impressions.

Highlights

  • Reduces or eliminates pedal kickback
  • Replaces the stock chainring spider or direct mount chainring
  • SRAM, Shimano, Race Face, e*thirteen, and Ingrid direct-mount versions
  • Includes elastomers to switch between 6°, 9°, or 12° of rotation
  • Made from 7075 T6 aluminum
  • Black hard anodized Nero surface treatment or custom Pregio metallic hard coating surface treatment
  • 52mm chain line for bikes with Boost rear axles
  • Requires a 30 to 36-tooth 104mm BCD chainring
  • Includes titanium nuts
  • Weight: 128g (4.5-ounces, actual)
  • Price: 298€ (Nero) // 349€ (Pregio) // 354€ (Nero with carbon-Ti chainring)
  • Two-year warranty

 

You can decide between 6, 9, or 12-degrees of movement by replacing the internal elastomers. In this graph you can see typical pedal kickback values for various bikes:

Ochain can be used across the spectrum of full-suspension bikes and crank types:

Ochain with the ready-to-ride Titanium Nut and Carbon-Ti chainring kit

What's The Bottom Line?

Our tests confirmed the claims. With an Ochain device installed there is a general feeling of isolation from your feet, and it noticeably takes the edge off sharp hits – especially on low-speed, technical descents. The device made a marked improvement in small-bump sensitivity, compliance, and the back end felt like it wasn't getting caught up as much. Added cost, weight, complexity, and dead space while pedaling are the major drawbacks. The ideal customer is someone riding a bike with lots of chain growth who is focused on descending capabilities.

Visit www.ochain.bike for more details.

About The Reviewer

James Yun - Age: 44 // Years Riding: 17 // Height: 5'10" (177.7cm) // Weight: 170-pounds (77.1kg)

James is a mountain bike enthusiast and geek based in Northern California. He's also the founder of the MTB Savant YouTube channel.

Rate review:
2
bturman
8/13/2020 6:11pm

20 comments

Post a reply to: Ochain's Active Spider Eliminates Pedal Kickback - REVIEW

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LLLLL
4 years ago
Put your bike in 1st gear and drop the back wheel from any height then put it in a high gear and drop from the same height. Problem solved.
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matmattmatthew
4 years ago
I'm not sure if it's in my head, but when I switched to an Onyx rear hub on my full suspension bike a few years ago I swear I noticed an improvement in the suspension.
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grinch
4 years ago
If winning dh times are split by tenths of seconds this will make the difference. Athertons seem to agree as theyre using them
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TEAMROBOT
4 years ago
Obviously, widespread adoption at the WC level will be the real test. I know Neko also tested with it but I don't recall seeing it on his bike lately.
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grinch
4 years ago
I could see Neko trying it. He's seen the result of no kickback. I dont think id want it on my enduro bike but i can see it being good on a dh bike or just rolling around the park. It may even save some parts like clutches, derailleurs, chains, guides, hangers, spokes/wheels
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Suns_PSD
4 years ago
The O-Chain has TREMENDOUS potential as part of an add on e-bike kit. Right now if you take what is probably the best built add on kit, the Revel Propulsion, you see you have to remove your preferred and possibly high end cranks and install very low end square taper BB and cranks. The reason is that the new crankset has to have a free wheel in it that can deal with the overrun that is inherent in e-motors. Basically the tendency for the motor to provide power for an extra moment after you discontinue pedaling and to push your feet forward making pedaling offroad in technical conditions awkward. The motor itself has another freewheel that makes the motor not spin if you pedal with no battery power.
Now imagine an add on light weight e-bike kit, 7#s with a battery totally possible. It uses 1 extended chain instead of 2 that encompasses the motor and your chainring with your stock cranks and the O' Chain device added to deal with that motor overrun.
Think of the potential. With a section of chain you could remove easily and the quick disconnects of the Revel system, you truly have 2 bikes in one and you can upgrade your high end bike in to an e-bike for well less than $2K.
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David9180
4 years ago
Would you say a hub with more degrees of engagement will do the same?

Will a hub with 10˚ of freehub rotation be the same as a hub with 4º + 6º of the Ochain?

Thanks and great work!
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Skeen
4 years ago
I was wondering the same thing and would guess:sort of but not really. Say you have a 6 degree hub, you will always be somewhere between 6 and 0 degrees depending on the moment so it will be inconsistent where as the o chain always resets to be ready for full use of rear rotation. But I’d like to hear from someone who knows for sure.
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bulletbass man
4 years ago
Also you can suffer pedal kickback when the hub is not engaged.

I’m interested to see if they can get then pedaling dialed. For me I mostly don’t mind pedal kickback when descending but it can be really awful in technical climbs. However I wonder if how the device works would be more detrimental than what it helps with or even would work in this type of scenario
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Varaxis
4 years ago
I'm super interested in climbing too. I got a bike that pedals so softly, custom steel FS, that it makes me notice how harshly my knees feel strain while climbing other super stiff bikes. Wondering if something like this takes off the edge in a similar way.
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grinch
4 years ago
Interesting idea. Itd be great if it did. I'd like to get another ht but im hesitant to spend the $ if my old bones cant hack it. A ti +tire hardtail with a focus on vertical compliance and one of these Ochains(if it helps) could sway me. Maybe someone could make a suspension dropper too
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grizzatom
4 years ago
There is absolutely no pedal kickback unless the hub is engage. Dan Roberts, Steve at Vorsprung, DT and many others have tried to pound this into peoples' heads. There are multiple things happening whether we are pedaling or freewheeling, but the definition of pedal kickback requires that the chain be mechanically locked front and rear and the chain be under tension. This is why we are able to plot graphs and derive a pedal kickback angle based on the geometric constraints of the linkage system (aka chain growth). This is useful when assessing how a bike will feel while climbing over obstacles or pedaling through rough sections of trail. As Dan Roberts shows in his analyses, pedal kickback also CANNOT physically occur above a certain wheel speed, which is generally 10-15mph, depending on the linkage.

Chain momentum (chain slap) is a different phenomenon. It is basically constrained mass transfer along the chain caused by abrupt change in direction while the suspension articulates over obstacles. This is what causes the lion's share of the jarring sensation through your feet while descending. It causes feedback through the chainring/crank/pedals and does not require the freehub to be engaged. O-chain may help reduce that sensation.

Point is there are many things going on, but pedal kickback (as it is defined) is not relevant to descending unless you are pedaling at very slow DH speeds, doing very low-speed drops to flat, or locking your rear brake through big compressions.
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TEAMROBOT
4 years ago
"Very slow DH speeds, doing very low-speed drops to flat, or locking your rear brake through big compressions." I think you accidentally but perfectly described a squid. This may also be O-Chain's dream customer.
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dsmdan18
4 years ago
Good luck on your quest grizzatom. In the USA at least, everyone's opinion matters. Suspension experts, physicist, mechanical engineers etc. with provable facts are no more important than what someone feels in their gut is happening on the bike beneath them. Actually someone with a theory may have more influence, as long as they can tie it to a conspiracy theory. Let me try "The big bad bike companies are telling us that pedal kickback is not a huge problem because re-engineering would reduce their profits. Many riders are sick of this phenomenon so this small company from Italy is out to solve this problem that we all know exist".
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TEAMROBOT
4 years ago
dsmdan18 That's why Stephen Colbert goes with his gut. “That’s where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. Now, I know some of you are going to say, ‘I did look it up, and that’s not true.’ That’s ’cause you looked it up in a book. Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that’s how our nervous system works.”
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dsmdan18
4 years ago
I tend to like a little bit of pedal kick back on technical climbs. If I want the suspension to stay high in its travel I will resist the kickback force with my legs, hindering the compression of the suspension. If I don't care about blowing through the travel, I will just let the cranks rotate back a couple degrees.
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BHowell
4 years ago
DT Swiss has some really interesting talking points on just that. Check out their perspective HERE. Basically, it is a defense for having 36 points of engagement to allow for reduced pedal kickback (among other things).
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Specifications

Product
Ochain Chainring Spider
Riding Type
Cross Country
Dirt Jump / Slopestyle
Downhill
Enduro / All-Mountain
Freeride / Bike Park
Trail
Chainring Type
Other: Spider Only
Speeds
1x
Tooth Count
30, 32, 34, and 36 tooth options (sold separately)
Hole Pattern
104 BCD
Materials
Al Alloy 7075 T6
Nero: black hard anodizing surface treatment
Pregio: custom precious hard coating surface treatment
Colors
Nero: black anodized
Pregio: metallic anodized
Weight
0 lb 4.5 oz (128 g)
Miscellaneous
Replaces the stock chainring spider or direct mount chainring
SRAM, Race Face, e*thirteen, and Ingrid direct-mount versions available
Provided with Ochain Elastomer Kit to switch between 6°, 9°, or 12° setup
Ochain and chainrings fit only with 5mm length nuts
Chain line: 52mm (Boost only)
Dimensions: 93 mm x 93 mm x 13 mm
2020 year release
2-year warranty
Discontinued 2024
Price
Nero (298€, includes titanium nuts and VAT): N/A
Pregio (349€, includes titanium nuts and VAT): N/A
More Info

Ochain is a fully mechanical, active chainring spider designed to reduce pedal-kickback by automatically isolating your transmission from your suspension when needed.

Ochain website

Review This Product
What do you think?
Where To Buy
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Chainrings