Just replaced a triple ring 28/38/48 with a triple 22/32/42.... Haven't put my bike through the paces yet. What can I expect and why? Make the explanation as semi-technical as you like... I enjoy learning new things, especially on my bike!

Your bike will be easier to pedal.

☝️ I agree!

Every time you pedal a circle you move the bike ‘X’ teeth. So with your new gearing you will move the bike fewer ‘teeth’ than with your former chain ring. Now, of course, that also depends on your cassette, but since you don’t say you have changed that it should be irrelevant.

If the gear on you are using on your cassette has 24 teeth then with every cycle the old chain ring (large gear) would rotate the tires 48/24 or 2Xs. The new one will rotate the tires 42/24 or 1.75Xs. Less distance equals less effort.

It will easier to pedal up hills, but on flat roads you will go slower with similar effort.

28/38/48= 0.015
22/32/42= 0.016

Difference of one thousanth.

Lemme get this straight:
The OP substituted smaller chainrings, having no idea what difference will be?

Ignorance is bliss, and I'm a happy man!

If the gear ratios you mostly find yourself using are within the overlap between your old and new crankset, you won’t notice any difference.

You'll have easier gearing for going up hills in the small chainring, but assuming the same rear cassette (gearing), you will have to spin very quickly to make the bike go the same speed in the big chainring.

I enjoy numbers, and there are a few gear calculators that can give you additional data using chainring and cassette sizes. First, this one (https://www.bikecalc.com) gives you a bunch of information, including the useful speed at cadence, or how fast the bike will go given the RPM of your pedaling. Green combinations are faster/harder to pedal; red combinations are slower/easier to pedal.

There's also the Sheldon Brown gear calculator (https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html) which provides the very interesting meters of development - how far your bike will travel forward with each rotation of the pedals. You can do some math and, for example, calculate how many times you'll need to turn the pedals per mile in each gear. This is probably useful only if you're on long solo rides and need something to focus on while passing the time.

The fewer front teeth that remain... is indicative of pushing the performance envelope just a little too far.

Your lowest gear combination will be easier to pedal than before. Your highest gear combination will be easier to pedal than before. Why? Because, you changed your gearing .

Hopefully you dropped the front derailleur down a bit too since thats kinda pretty important.

Then why did you start this thread?

Maybe no performance difference at all, particularly if you ride mostly flat roads.

If you had difficulty climbing up some of the hills in your area with your previous crankset, you are going to have less difficulty climbing up the hills with your new one.
If you found yourself running out of gears and freewheeling on the downhills previously, you are going to run out of gears and find yourself freewheeling even sooner with your new crankset.

False. Power is still power. Similar effort will land you at a similar speed, just at a smaller cog on the cassette, or spinning at a higher cadence.

Is the o.p.'s chain slightly too long now? Seems like it should need a link out. At least the chain should have been thought about. Ignorance is not always bliss.

To have a question answered. And he's happy to have got that answer. Pretty legit if you ask me. Why the noise.??

Uh...See post #7 .

Bingo, this seems to be the very "thing": uphills are easier and, while not freewheeling on the downhills yet, top gear is more often used. Thanks Retro Grouch!

Thanks, Wipekitty, I will check those out!

I had the LBS do the work.

Because learning, too, is bliss....

Thanks, the LBS tech talked about that and I forgot to ask if he did. I can do that part if necessary

How did you get this?
48/42 = 1.14

28 divided by 38 divided by 48.