I was out riding today, and jumped down to the 32 x 11 just to see what it felt like at ~20mph on a descent. I didn't like it.
Analysis of why I don't like it:
1) I have many more pedal-strike opportunities to think about when the cranks are going around that many more RPMs.
2) Unweighting the saddle's a lot harder when pedalling ~90rpm instead of ~60rpm, and I'd prefer not to have to level the cranks up, coast, unweight and give up momentum. I ride a hardtail, so I'm not getting assistance from rear suspension.
3) With a 44T ring, at fast singletrack speeds, there's still the option to spin, but also to torque. With a 32, at what I consider a fast cruise on rolling singletrack, it's spin or coast.
4) Using the 44 makes going faster as simple as upshifting on the cassette. On the section where I was going ~20mph on a descent, I could easily bring it up over 30mph under power in the 44x11. If I were running the 32T, I'd have to make a chainring shift first. If I only had a 32T, then I'd have to coast, or try to spin 140+ rpm. No thanks.
5) after the ride, I hit the streets and headed downtown. Pulling up to the red light on a 4-lane one-way, I left it in the 44T. Green light. Rev, clickclick, rev, clickclick, rev, click, rev, BRAKES for the next red light while punching back down the cassette for the next launch. Motorists catch up. Repeat. Another red light. Motorists catch up. Repeat. XTR shift pods, with their dual-release upshift feature, are beyond awesome :thumbsup: Anyway, launching in the 32T ring would mean arranging a chainring upshift, then a chainring downshift, then an upshift, then a downshift... no thanks.
Bonus: a 44T ring wears slower than a 32T ring, other factors being equal. For me, the 32T ring is for significant climbs, the 44T ring is preferable for everything else. For those who prefer some other setup, that's fine, but these are some of the reasons they'll pry my big chainring from my cold dead fingers.