After getting my Jamis serviced the other day it was discovered that my rear derailleur hanger had been bent. I for the last few weeks I have avoided using the small chain-ring very much because some of the gears would jump. Now that has been fixed I decided to try and use the small ring more. Somewhere I read that new riders used the big ring more than they should so I wanted to see what would happen if I used the small ring most of the time. For the last two club rides I haven’t used the big ring except on some very long slight down hill. To my amazement I have kept up better than ever. I have to spin faster than I thought I could but one advantage is I can accelerate to catch up after pulling out of the lead on a pull. My legs feel better for longer and I still have some juice left over for when we hit a hill or grade. I could see dropping into the small ring would make it easier but it didn’t make sense that it could also make me faster for part of the ride. But it seems to work.