Originally Posted by
seau grateau
The whole larger sprockets for less wear thing is mostly malarkey in my opinion (theoretically valid but practically insignificant)
This is my belief, too. Larger gears are smoother/more efficient/longer wearing in the same way that the right pair of shoes will give an aerodynamic advantage. It's mathematically true, but in actual practice there's too little difference for 99% of riders to ever notice.