Originally Posted by
ShannonM
You can get back a few teeth of chainwrap by never riding in the big / big gear.
Which you shouldn't do anyway, even if your drivetrain lets you get away with it, and even if the component manufacturer swears up and down that they designed the components specifically so that you can. They didn't, and you shouldn't.
Maximum stress on the drivetrain, maximum wear, it's almost always the noisiest gear on the bike, and the ratio almost always ends up being a duplicate of another gear, unless you specifically design the gearing so that it isn't, which nobody does, except for half-stepping weirdo gear-freaks. And even they avoid the big/big.
Just say no.
--Shannon
NO, I don't agree. I ride my Campy drivetrain in big/big all the time and it is not noisy. It is 50/26. If it wears it down more I haven't noticed, but I'm not one to freak out if my chain/cassette is slightly worn. I keep it all lubed regularly and it shift perfectly. And no, it is not exactly duplicated. But that isn't the real reason for using it. For most of my riding I have no need for the small ring up front. NYC is pretty flat. For those few places that need a lower gear, I'd rather just stay in the big ring as they are short stretches like a bridge or a rise in the park. When I ride in truly hilly areas it is a different story and then I shift both.
And here is the pertinent question: Even if it did create more wear, how would that affect the rest of the cogs? It would only be the large cog. The chains themselves have enough play to do it and are made that way.