I only have Campagnolo, and they recommend small- small.
Boy or boy, I am totally confused by this. I can only assume that I do not understand the explanation. If I go small to small, what happens when I go big to small? Seems to me that there would not be enough chain.
I almost always go big-big, ensuring that I will not stretch-load the chain. This has worked OK for me for many years, however...
More recently, I have found that my interest in vintage road bicycles trends towards pre-1970 offerings. This means that I will be using old school transmissions, such as a Campy Gran Sport chain jumper. Going big-big is safe but the shifting and chain tension/slack is not working well at all.