Originally Posted by
abshipp
I've noticed a similar phenomenon when I ride my fixed gear. Since I'm stuck in 44x17 I just get out of the saddle and stomp my way up rather than shift, sit, and spin.
I fully endorse the idea of going to smaller chainrings. I have a 46/30 on one of my bikes and I more or less treat it as a 1X plus granny. 98% of my time is on the big ring in the middle of the cassette.
I believe this is what I will be doing, at least to start. Replacing the chainrings with smaller ones solve this problem in my mind. A little easier in both the little and big ring, spin a little faster, have a little easier gear in the back, with minimum invested in case I don't like it. Thank you.