All fine up to here-- in this instance a call out to subjective reasoning can only perpetuate scientific ignorance. Old Rawly already informed us about what he knows, "for a fact & utterly without a doubt that it is easier to pedal a 24/11 that it is to pedal 39/18. I have bikes on which I can use both arrangements, and I have tried both! there is significantly less resistance with the 24/11. I am not imagining it."