Originally Posted by clink83

Not true. With a 50/34 and an 11-25 cassette on rolling to flat courses you can stay in the big ring on longer/steeper climbs while still being able to retain your top end. If your honest with yourself and how you really ride, compacts are the best choice for 90% of people. There is more to compacts than just the low and high end gears. Also, 11-23 or 11-25 cassettes have much better ratios than something like a 12-27 cassette does, so you don't sacrifice your big ring ratios in order to climb.

Really, unless your a strong road racer on flat ground, there isn't a compelling reason to run a standard crank. Hell, I know someone who is a very good cat2 racer who races everything with a compact and an 11-23 setup.