Why o why of why is the largest chainring the outermost chainring when you have either 2x or 3x set ups but the largest ring on the cassette is always closest to the bike with smaller ones placed outside this….

ok i need some sleep!

thoughts stworlders

There’s a very simple answer to this question – clearance. A Cassette wouldn’t fit in a frame with the largest ring on the outside. With the largest chainring on the inside of the crank it wouldn’t clear the chainstays

chainstay clearance I think

edit but that’s only half the story I guess

They are roughly arranged so as to keep the chain line straight-ish when you use the gear combinations that develop the most power via a human’s legs.

Having said that, they could both be flipped and that would still be true – smallest on the outside at the front -but then two things would happen

*The small cog at the front would really eat your socks/jeans etc

*The large cog, now on the outside at the back, would have a lot of leverage perpendicular to the bearings of the free hub, and be mounted furthest from them [seeing as small driving large will develop the most mechanical advantage]

This brings me back to the question from yesterday’s sprocket thread – does the force on the teeth of a chainwheel or cassette sprocket have to do with the gear combination driven, or only the force input from the pedals/crank arm length.

Maybe I’m thinking too much too.

EDIT: awww heck