Funny this just came up. I am a masher , seldom if ever leaving the big chain ring. Here in Va where I live, there are allot of nice rollers nothing really requiring the small ring. All that said, I HATE WIND...Anyway, I have always just mashed on and suffered. For some reason, about two weeks ago with some 30-35 mile per hour winds, and higher gusts I dropped down to the small ring, grabbed the drops, and pedalled a nice steady 80 rpm cadence...may not be the fastest way to cut through the wind but it felt like heaven to me!!