We set Shannon's Roubaix up with the Campy Record compact drivetrain. Campy has a compact-specific front derailleur for both the Record and Chorus component levels, I believe. She is not a strong climber so I had the shop spec a 13-29 cassette on the rear. By my calculations, this gives her slightly more climbing gearing than the 30-tooth granny on the triple with the 12-25 that she had previously. She has not had any problem with rub or chain drop using the compact-specific FD, and she loves the shift quality.

I think the compact setup is great for anyone who doesn't hang out in the 53-11 gearing a lot. With a compatible FD, you can still have quality shifting with the same tight spacing on the rear and a wider overall gearing range -- all without the horrific weight burden of a triple. If I lived in the Hill Country or didn't have a bunch of good components already, I'd definitely go compact now. As it is, after checking out Shannon's setup, that'll be the way I go with the next purchase.

BTW -- What does being older have to do with climbing ability? If I had a dollar for everytime I got passed by some geezer, I'd have a Colnago for every month of the year. A couple years ago at the Ouachita Challenge, a friend and I were cranking up this hill and just about dying. We were desperately trying to keep up with this old guy who looked like Grizzly Adams on a bike. Everything about his look was retro except for the Sugar race bike underneath the braided steel legs. He was just about to drop our sorry young whippersnapper asses when he stopped to help some guy with a mechanical. After we passed him, Don looked over and said, "Hey I think that was Ed Hawkins. Wasn't he the NORBA Masters 60+ champion from last year?"