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How much of a difference does chainring size make?

13K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  Haint 
#1 ·
I'm currently riding a 52T, and wonder how much difference there would be upgrading to a 53T, or would I just be wasting my money?
 
#2 ·
Many answers to questions on this site are subjective, but this is one that can be answered with math. Assuming your small gear on the back is 12t the difference is a the 53 would have a high of 119.3 gear inches and the 52 would be 117. About a 2% difference. So at a cadence of 90rpm you'd be going 31.9mph instead of 31.3 with your 52t. Is that worth an "upgrade" to you?
 
#7 ·
No matter how skeptically I squint at the table of percentage differences in chainring and cog sizes, I do feel these quote-unquote tiny differences in my legs. And when, sometime in the past, I changed my 53 back to a 52, I remember being a happy guy.
 
#15 ·
As others have said this is all very subjective but I can say that based on my personal experience, the difference of one tooth on the big chainring is actually pretty significant. I was used to my 53 and bought a bike that had a 54 and I didn’t like it. The guy I bought it from was a former pro racer with legs like tree trunks so he had no problem spinning that big ring.
 
#17 ·
no matter what the calculator says, one tooth DOES make a difference in how the legs feel. I have 5 bikes, 3 of them use the 52t front, 1 uses a 53t, and one uses a 50t front. I normally use the bikes with 52t front. And every now and then I take the bike with the 53t out and it ALWAYS feels heavier, my legs know it, ALWAYS! The problem is that if you shift to a bigger cog when using the 53t, then it always feel like you're in too light a gear (i'm assuming you're using the same sized cassettes on the bikes). Give time, your legs will adjust to the new cadence. But my point is that one tooth change can definitely be felt in a real way much more the than calculator says.
 
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