Originally Posted by
bmike
explain please.
how is the same ratio more or less efficient in one size or the other?
they both yield the same speed @ the same rpm.
aside from the wear on the smaller cog (pulling on the surface area of teeth of a 12 versus a 16)...how does it change things?
Another line . . . I was told to always use the biggest front cog you can without cross chaining, as that reduces chain tension and thus chain wear, which is also the best way to create the least wear on your cogs and chainrings. Nothing to do with efficiency, of course.
On our tandem, I tend to run in the big ring a lot, which brings the chain down onto the spider on our XTR cassette, which keeps the loose cogs from digging into the hub so much. No big deal on a single, but a tandem sees a lot of torque on the cassette.