Originally Posted by
PeteHski
There is always an overlap in gear ratios between chainrings on a 2x or 3x. There is no difference in torque between the same ratio on the granny ring vs middle ring. It’s only the gear ratio that defines the torque. So for example a 40T:20T would give the same torque as a 30T:15T. In other words they would both produce the same road speed at the same cadence. You only get more torque from the granny ring when the overall ratio is lower, as it would be in the larger rear sprockets.
I guess what I mean is that a using the granny gear gives better leverage, like a 40t x 20t is the same as 38t x 22t, but the 38 x 22 will feel like a lower gear.