hoo-lee, thats a fair call too! i was going by denominator as well, not the chainring value.

however what all of this is really pointing towards is finding a good combination that will give you a sufficient gear-inch while still getting the longest wear from your tires.

by the way, my choice was accidental, i consulted a gear-inch chart and went for it, only after learning to skid did it occur to me to calculate such a thing. maff is gud.