Originally Posted by
radripperaj
Doesnt this depend on each person individually? Kind of like how different motors produce their max HP at different RPMs, Different people produce max power at different RPMs?
True, but the concept is that even among individuals who have raced several years (decades), they are choosing larger gears than they did in year's past. We aren't talking going from a 96" gear to a 98". I'm talking about going from 96" to over 110". If you've ever pushed a 110" gear, you'd remember it
For example, instead of sprinting on a 96" gear last season, they are choosing 120" this season as their race gear.
I think some people are also using the larger chainrings to be able to run a larger cog for the same total gear inches. This is done for drivetrain efficiency, because the smaller rear cog will put more friction on the chain. Not sure exactly how much difference this makes but at the top end of the sport where fractions of a percent can be the difference between winning or losing, it's just one more "marginal gain" to take into consideration.
Yeah, I've heard of that, too.
I firmly believe that the gains are small and are "lost in the wash" of other variables. Just like ceramic bearings are
technically more efficient...but they only demonstrate performance gains over high quality steel bearings at several thousand RPMs as when used in machinery.
So, my question isn't about achieving the same gear ratio by using bigger chainrings and cogs. It's about achieving a higher gear ratio than before with all other things being equal (rider, strength, fitness, track, event, etc...).