Strangeness with gears I searched the internet and this forum and couldn't find anything about this. I recently took off my rear wheel to change the tire and tube. Upon returning it, it shifts fine (no falloff or skip) however it's backwards from what I remember. The last person to do anything to my bike was a very experienced friend. He tuned it up and replaced a rear axle and returned it, I haven't done anything since. I distinctly remember the most resistance being when I had 3 on the left (front gears/crank) and 7 on the right (rear cogs) for a very long time. And when gearing down to ride up hill, visually I would see the chain on the smallest of the rear cogs. Now the smallest rear has the most resistance and reads out as 7, but the internet and other bikes tell me this is perfectly normal. I can't understand how this is mechanically possible and I'm starting to think I fooled myself somehow, or it's an alternate dimension paradox. Genuinely curious if anything like this is possible, not trolling you. It's a 2007 Norco Scrambler with stock shimano shifters and cassette
I'm starting to think I fooled myself somehow


And you are correct.

Smaller sprockets on the front or larger sprockets on the back give lower gear ratios (easier to pedal, but you go slower).