icyclist...

I made a sincere effort to compare apples to apples - drivetrains with the same range. Having 2% more gear range does not make my comparison "apples and oranges" and it would be no different with a 49/34 chainring setup which is a nearly perfect comparison. You pick the conditions/limitations and I can make another appropriate comparison.

Some people think that dealing with 3 chainrings is more complicated, but it depends on how much of a gear-head the rider is. I used a triple during four seasons of Colorado mountian riding and thought it was great. There is no complication. I never used the small chainring until I got into the mountain climbs. I could ride for 10 miles in the little ring and never shift out of it unless I wanted to. Some people just don't understand that after every chainring shift, you also shift 2-3 cogs to produce the next higher of lower gear. It matters not, if you have two or three chainrings.

That said, I switched to a compact for the last several seasons. I chose to have the 50/11 top gear, but I have less low end with a 34/25 (11 speed). The 34/25 is only like a 30/22, but it gets me through all but the toughest routes. I've chosen to pedal standing a bit more.