Difference between two drivetrains with the same gear ratio? Given two identical, fixed-gear bicycles, one with a 36/12 gear combination and another with 48/16, will there be any noticeable difference when pedaling these two bicycles?  I understand there may be some negligible differences due to differing amounts of chain wrap on the cogs, etc.

I have a friend who alleges that, despite those bikes having identical gear ratios, the 48T chainring will be "better" for a rider preferring a lower cadence and the 36T chainring will be "better" for a rider preferring a higher one.  I've attempted to explain to him that this would require the bikes to somehow have differing amounts of development per pedal rotation, which they do not as I have tried to demonstrate here: http://www.gear-calculator.com/?GR=SGLS&amp;KB=36&amp;RZ=12&amp;UF=2240&amp;TF=90&amp;SL=2.6&amp;UN=KMH&amp;GR2=SGLS&amp;KB2=48&amp;RZ2=16&amp;UF2=2240

Please help me win this argument!
The gear ratio is exactly the same, the only possible difference is in the efficiency of the power transmission. Big/Big is generally more efficient, so it should be better for both, unless there is some reason that greater power losses in the transmission chain help "spinners". 

So they will potentially feel different if you can notice the difference 
( pretty small ) in the efficiency of the drive train. I don't see how that translates to masher vs spinner though. 

http://www.ihpva.org/HParchive/PDF/hp50-2000.pdf