Quote:
Originally Posted by .RJ
IMO, a 48T chainring would be pretty bonkers to have on a gravel bike, especially for a 1x. My Crux has a 42/11-40 and its fine for the local gravel (regular roads, rolling and no huge climbs) and my custom has a 36/10-42 and I'm about to switch it up to a 38/10-46. The gearing on either of those two bikes will get me almost 30mph @ 90rpm.
I would not compromise tire clearance or CS length for a bigger chainring beyond a 42-44T.
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If the bike is running a 10-52 cassette, a larger chainring makes more sense. But, even then, not sure you'd ever need more than a 46t.
46x10 is a hair taller/faster than a 50x11. And 46x52 is lower/slower than a 34x36.
But, as you say, for a 10-42 or 10-44 "wide road" cassette, a 40 or 42t ring makes sense and will be fast enough in the 10t cog for all but the fastest descents (at least for mortals/amateurs).