my friend with an RC-51 just went up 2 teeth on his rear sprocket and changed nothing else. i was convinced that this would wear out the chain and front sprocket quicker. my intention is to just go -1 on the front and be able to inter change the front sprockets whenever i want without changing chain. i would think ....... well im not certian what i think..... What do you guys think. <--- (skater brain)

 

Sorry dude but it's just the opposite ... going -1 on front will decrease the radius of the chain and actually wear it quicker. Generally -1 on the front will do about the same as +4 or so on the back -- also it's easier to change out and you don't have to buy a new chain. But just going -1 on the front isn't gonna drastically reduce your chain life -- it'll wear maybe 10-20% faster than stock depending on how you ride.

 

I'm running a Vortex front sprocket -1 tooth. Keep that chain nice and lubed and it'll last just fine. You will notice quite a difference in acceleration also.