Originally Posted by Grasschopper
I don't know. I am going to be converting my bike from a triple (52,42,30) with a 12-25 9 spd to a compact double (50/34) with 11-27 10sp and think I will actually be gaining gears while limiting my shifting. Now that I know how to properly shift my triple I find there are a bunch of combinations I don't use and I am shifting onto the small ring sooner and more often to keep revs up and maintain my cadence. By going to the wider ration compact double I will have more top end and the same (are darn near it) bottom end plus less shifting from ring to ring. With 10 on the back and a compact double I think it could be the best option.
Edit: ok maybe gaining gears isn't the correct thing to say. I guess what is really happening is I will be loosing duplicated gears.
Yeah, this sounds like a very good choice from a mechanical basis like 53-11 AlltheWay said, I had been thinking about doing the conversion to a compact double also, read also an article where the pros favor it as well, in fact Tyler Hamilton and Carlos Sastre used it in the TDF 2003 with great results.
Velocipedio
Yeah, I could climb hills on that low gearing (39x25) also, but the question is: will you have "fresh" legs at the end of the day to finish the long ride at a decent speed ? perhaps you can, I can't, not just yet anyway, I'm working on it.
That's the bottom line: measured effort having the right hearing for your pedaling capabilities.
Corsaire
