Originally Posted by
banerjek
If most of the nonracing cycling population are even more honest, they'd probably find that a 46/36 would probably meet their needs even better. They neither have any hope of spinning out the top end nor being in conditions that would make a larger difference between the rings optimal.
Huh? I'm a member of the non-racing population and it is not that unusual for me to spin out on a descent. And it isn't unusual at all for me to need the 34/27. In fact I had to get off and walk the other day, though admittedly my garmin claimed the gradient to be 33% at the point I gave up. It isn't just racers who climb hills.