After trying out the 40 tooth big ring for a while I needed to investigate the 38. The only time I spun out the 40-11 was on long road downhills so I it seemed like I could go even lower and stay in the dog full time. I also wanted to try running only 2 rings using the granny and middle positions. I went with a 26/38 and kept the 11-34 on the back. I only lose a tiny bit on the ends of the gear range and with the 38 in the middle position I have a really good chainline with easy gear access from the 34 all the way down to the 11.
I’ve been riding it for a couple of weeks now and even when doing hard intervals up and down the hills out at phipps I haven’t spun it out yet. For most of the courses I race I think it could be the perfect setup. My only concern are the steep hills at the Thunderbolt course. I was in the granny for several of those. I think the 26 will be low enough though.
One thing is for sure though, after riding it at Tom Brown/Cadillac I know it will be perfect.
Less is more…