Originally Posted by
wkndwarrior
Right now I'm thinking of replacing the 53t with a 50t chainring and swapping out the rear cassette to get rid of the 11t & 12t and add more gear ratios in the middle.
I think that's a good idea. With the 50 big ring you may want to start with a 12 on the cassette. If you keep the 53 big ring you could start with a 13 on the cassette. If you keep the 30 granny gear on the triple you won't need anything bigger than a 26 on the cassette. If you ride a wide range of terrain, from flats to mountains there is no reason to try to do it all on one cassette. Cassettes are really easy to change out.