Over the weekend a brand new top class element emblem popped up, as QO debuted 3 light-weight carbon cranksets and chainring combos. With dimpled aero tech for avenue Race & gravel Grava and bolstered affect coverage for each Grava & MTB Rocks cranksets, QO is already running with best small-batch motorcycle developers and can have aftermarket cranks to be had inside the subsequent couple months. Plus, they tease that cranksets are only the start, with lots extra elements being ready within the wings…
The place did QO come from, and the place are the QOing?
(Footage/QO)
Sure, pun supposed, if you’ll be able to name it that? QO intended the title as a synonym of GO, therefore point out of the emblem “QOing forward” on this introductory PR marketing campaign, and over the weekend at Velofollies.
However whilst the title is new, the folks in the back of the brand new emblem are somewhat acquainted. Qo founders Pablo Carrasco and Ignacio Estellés simply occur to have additionally been founders of Rotor the entire long ago in 1996. That’s the place the 2 pioneered tech like oval chainrings, unmarried & dual-sided powermeter cranks, modular cranksets, even the very cool (if no longer commercially a hit) Uno hydraulic moving, and the first manufacturing 13-speed groupset for avenue, gravel & mountain motorcycles. Various attention-grabbing drivetrain tech that noticed the highlight beneath a couple of Grand Excursion and Global Championship-winning cyclists in a couple of disciplines.
Carrasco left his position as head of Rotor R&D a couple of years in the past, when the 2 began a utilitarian e-mobility corporate in combination. However they nonetheless carried on with Rotor as smartly till fairly not too long ago. Now the 2 are again in conjunction with an all-new emblem, leveraging a lot in their design, engineering & production wisdom to create an all-new top class element corporate.
Qo carbon crankset construction
The primary product vary to come back out of Qo is a sequence of carbon cranksets. That turns out a becoming position to begin, coming from their Rotor background as carbon cranks on- & off-road had been one of the most most up-to-date inventions from the emblem that had targeted for many years in machined aluminum.
Qo says the brand new “state-of-the-art carbon cranks” promise to deliver “real-world benefits to professional riders and passionate cyclists alike”. Their design targets appear to be a steadiness of “exceptional strength, weight, and durability”
Qo designs the brand new elements in Spain, engineers them between Spain & Taiwan, and manufactures carbon in between Taiwan & China with carbon manufacturing spouse YMA and machines chainrings in Spain.
Qo Race modular aero carbon avenue motorcycle cranks
The spotlight of the street Qo Race crankset is its aero dimples “impressed by means of aerodynamic ideas… to beef up airflow across the crankset“. The light-weight ‘Mitsubishi Pyrofil’ carbon palms promise stiffness, sturdiness & vibration-damping with dimples on each internal & outer faces of its palms.
The entire UD carbon cranksets characteristic DUB-compatible 28.99mm spindles and an immediate mount chainring interface. The direct mount is similar 45-tooth DIN spline because the OCP interface that allowed Rotor to clock oval rings to align with lifeless spots for your pedal stroke.
The street cranks upload an aero-dimpled 7075-T6 alloy spider with Shimano-standard 4x110mm BCD. And there are aero-dimpled chainrings with “Smart Shifting” enamel & ramp designs and complicated rear machining. The street rings are available in 50/34T, 52/36T & 54/40T pairs and the palms are available in 160, 165, 170, 172.5 & 175mm lengths in each white or black.
An entire avenue Qo Race crankset is alleged to weigh 634g (170mm palms & 50/34T rings) – with 149mm Q-factor & 44.5mm chainline.
Qo Rocks modular carbon mountain motorcycle cranks
The important thing characteristic of the Qo Rocks mountain cranks is its KevTex kevlar reinforcement within the ends of the palms for “maximum protection against rock strikes and trail hazards” for longer carrier lifestyles, plus additionally they get a rubber bumper, too.
Once more the MTB cranks upload Mitsubishi Pyrofil carbon for vibration damping. However right here as a substitute of dimples, the palms characteristic ‘MaxStrength Slots’, necessarily exterior ribs mid-way during the crankarms to extend stiffness.
The carbon MTB palms are available in 165, 170 & 175mm lengths, once more with a DUB spindle & direct mount rings. Right here the CNC-machined 7075 chainrings are available in 32, 34, 36 & 38T sizes.
An entire mountain Qo Rocks crankset weighs handiest 440g (170mm palms & 34T ring) – with 174mm Q-factor & 55mm chainline.
Qo Grava modular aero carbon gravel motorcycle cranks
The Qo Grava gravel motorcycle cranks mix slightly of each – the aero from the street and the off-road KevTex reinforcement. There Qo delivers aero-dimpled carbon palms with inner kevlar reinforcement and rubber bumpers. After which, there are 1x direct mount chainrings, however with their very own aero dimples alongside the periphery.
The carbon gravel palms are presented in 165, 170 & 172.5mm lengths with a DUB spindle & direct mount 1x 40, 42 or 44T chainrings.
An entire gravel Qo Grava crankset weighs simply 478g (170mm palms & 40T ring) – with 153mm Q-factor & 47mm chainline.
Qo carbon cranksets – Pricing, choices & availability
QO Race avenue crankset
Formally, the Qo emblem announcement PR we won is only a preview of what’s to come back – with extra product launches nonetheless slated for 2025 . However the 3 carbon cranksets – Race, Grava & Rocks – are actual merchandise set to debut in a restricted unencumber already beginning in March 2025. This primary spherical is alleged to be to be had thru conventional vendors in Europe, beginning with their house in Spain and BeNeLux, France, Germany, Eire, Switzerland & the United Kingdom, plus China, Japan, Korea & Thailand.
QO Grava gravel crankset
Qo additionally named a number of early OEM companions who will spec their cranks (and long run elements) on small-batch & customized motorcycle builds. We’re looking forward to an inventory of spouse bikebuilder manufacturers, and can replace right here once we know extra.
QO Rocks MTB crankset
No longer introduced extra widely regardless that, we’ve got a good suggestion of anticipated pricing. Crankarm units by myself will promote for 550-570€. An entire avenue Race crankset with chainrings for 750€, whole gravel Grava crankset with 1x ring for 700€, and whole MTB Rocks crankset with a chainring for 650€. Qo additionally gives direct mount chainrings & the spider one at a time.
Test in with Qo without delay within the coming months to then in finding your native distributor in case you are a kind of first international locations to get get right of entry to to the brand new cranksets. And we’ll stay you up to date as Qo expands into extra markets.
QObike.com
