Fudged up the quote, on my phone: "As for the -1/+2 thought, that equates to about a +1 in the rear overall " I'm no expert racer tech smarty pants, like you, but I'm pretty sure that's more like + 3.5-4 in the rear. Lower in the front gives torque just like higher in the rear. To op, just find the 10 link length. Most manufacturers have a scale for that. That's how I knew my old chain was shit. you don't need a caliper, just a tape. And google.