Originally Posted by
Yoshi
Oh yeah, I agree that a 36x18 would probably not generate enough force to break a chain. My point was that as the gearing goes down, the amount of torque on the drive train goes up, which makes it more likely to break a chain.
It takes a more sophisticated view of it though to understand what breaks a chain though. One must understand the How much force is applied to what and how much torque is applied to what parts of the drive train as well as how conditions limit the maximum force the rider can apply to the pedals or the ground to the tires. It is true that a lower gear allows a rider to put more torque on the rear wheel but that is meaningless in terms of the chain.