What looks to be an externally adjustable OChain Active Spider has broken cover in the pits at the final round of the 2022 Downhill World Cup in Val di Sole. A gander at Loris Revelli’s Instagram stories reveals the prototype being handed to him, with subsequent stories showing it installed on his Canyon Sender.
A closer look at the new OChain reveals a large dial on the Active Spider, with markings indicating four possible settings: 4°, 6°, 9° and 12°.. We can’t quite make out which setting Loris has opted for.
Of course, it’s impossible to say exactly what’s going on inside the device but the current model contains an arrangement of springs and elastomers that work to dissociate drivetrain forces from suspension movement. The common terminology is pedal kickback, a sensation that can be felt at the pedals when chain growth resulting from suspension compression causes rearward rotation of the cranks.
The device is able to eliminate a tuneable amount of pedal kickback by permitting rearward rotation of the chainring in isolation to the crank arms. I have considerable experience of the early version of the OChain Active Spider and can recommend it. It works as advertised and tangibly improved the ride feel of my Revel Rail in the 6° position, particularly in harsh braking scenarios. It is, however, a bit of a pain to re-assemble after switching out the internals for alternate elastomers, so an externally adjustable version would be a welcome upgrade.
