I think it's just that a lot of brands are adding the 50t v. 52t into the calculation and that's where the one-size-up chainring is coming from. But it's a false lower gear because the rest of the cassette cluster is identical so it means spending a lot more time in the 52t than the rider would have with the 10-50t cassette and a smaller chainring.
I went up +2 teeth on my chainring when I mulleted the Titan at first so I'd buy a 32x10-50/52t for 27" and 30x10-50/52t for 29" as the optimum stock gearing for the average rider. My most significant point on the subject is just that brands should be treating the 10-52t and 10-50t cassettes as the same animal when choosing the ring size spec.
Aug. 21, 2021, 7:40 a.m. - Andrew Major
I think it's just that a lot of brands are adding the 50t v. 52t into the calculation and that's where the one-size-up chainring is coming from. But it's a false lower gear because the rest of the cassette cluster is identical so it means spending a lot more time in the 52t than the rider would have with the 10-50t cassette and a smaller chainring. I went up +2 teeth on my chainring when I mulleted the Titan at first so I'd buy a 32x10-50/52t for 27" and 30x10-50/52t for 29" as the optimum stock gearing for the average rider. My most significant point on the subject is just that brands should be treating the 10-52t and 10-50t cassettes as the same animal when choosing the ring size spec.