Originally Posted by dagray

so if you have a shorter chain the power is more effectively transferred to the wheel as there are less links to absorb the power. the distance from the front chainring to the rear cassette on the Orbea is much shorter (like four inches) than the Raleigh. This allows more torque due to less links to absorb the energy output from the pedaling.

Sort of like a car transmission in a manual when the clutch is starting to slip you lose energy, but when one installs a heavy duty clutch it grabs instantaneously and there is much less power loss.

A shorter drive train equates to more power being transferred to the back wheel.