Here in Minnesota, riding sustainable trails, we are the opposite of pedal and plunge: pretty mellow grades both up and down.
Still, I want to bias my chain line to the bigger cogs, because that is where:
1. Resistance matters a lot. It’s hard enough going uphill, I don’t want excess drivetrain friction adding to that
2. Often, there are (super) high torque moments in climbing, especially anything technical
3. Conversely, on the descent, I am living easy anyway, so a bit more friction is not as big a deal for me
4. It is far less likely that you will be doing some kind of super high torque move, when descending
5. The climbing gears are bigger cogs, so chain line matters more, since the chain contacts closer to the cranks, effectively shortening the chain(stay)length
Rider strength also doesn’t matter, as long as the chainring is selected for size relative to the riders strength.
Jan. 11, 2022, 5:54 a.m. - Tjaard Breeuwer
Here in Minnesota, riding sustainable trails, we are the opposite of pedal and plunge: pretty mellow grades both up and down. Still, I want to bias my chain line to the bigger cogs, because that is where: 1. Resistance matters a lot. It’s hard enough going uphill, I don’t want excess drivetrain friction adding to that 2. Often, there are (super) high torque moments in climbing, especially anything technical 3. Conversely, on the descent, I am living easy anyway, so a bit more friction is not as big a deal for me 4. It is far less likely that you will be doing some kind of super high torque move, when descending 5. The climbing gears are bigger cogs, so chain line matters more, since the chain contacts closer to the cranks, effectively shortening the chain(stay)length Rider strength also doesn’t matter, as long as the chainring is selected for size relative to the riders strength.