Originally Posted by
BCRider
Nubian, I know what you mean. On my bikes the only time the chain rests on the smallest rear cog is when I dial it there to test the shifting or to allow me to take the wheel off for transport or servicing....
Something to consider when picking your gearing is the little added efficiency and longer chain life you'll get if your chainline is "flatter". I tend to pick my gearing to keep the chain as aligned as possible and practical for the most often used gearing combo. This means that I long ago came to realize that 53T road rings are just not for me. My front gearing setups are all either MTB cranksets or in one case I'm using a 48T cylclocross ring on a road crank.
Reality bites, but it's still reality.
If you want even more chain life, go for bigger gears. I have a 53T ring on a couple bikes but no 11T cogs. I get cassettes like 13-26 or 12-23. I also have a couple cassettes that start with a 14T cog but those have to be purchased separately and cassettes have to be "custom" made.