I’m no expert at this but I want to relate to the board something I just learned for myself today.
I have a QR Caliente, but I suspect this may also be true of other bikes with rear wheel cut outs or curved chainstays. I’m not sure yet which is to blame.
I wanted to put a 13-23 on my rear wheel. (My reasoning for this choice are on another post but it is irrelevant from a mechanical perspective) When the chain was in the 13 cog the chain would rub against the chainstay. We adjusted the drop outs but that didn’t prevent the contact from the chain to the chainstay. When we put a cassette with a 12 as the smallest cog there was sufficient clearance.
So I am a bit bummed that my gear cluster won’t be as tight as I had hoped - I was really looking forward to having a 18 to go to…I ended up with a 12-23 cassette that I’m sure will work just fine.