Originally Posted by
FlashUNC
Its more convenient in a lot of ways, because I found after switching to a compact I would stick in the big ring for rollers, rather than jumping down to the 39, and I find I tend to stay in the big ring longer.
Other thing to watch out for after the switch is down shifting the front -- if the FD isn't properly adjusted -- can lead to you dropping the chain pretty easily. Don't ask how I've learned that....
As others have mentioned, the compact ideally keeps you on the bike longer, rather than walking up an incline, which will help out your fitness in the long haul. Besides, if you're not racing, what's the point of getting to the top first?
Agree with all this. After switching to a compact, I found myself using the 50 a lot more than when I started off with my odd 105 50/39/30 triple.
Re- chain drop - I did this once early on; just avoid shifting down to the 34 when you've gone all the way to the big cogs on your cassette, shift earlier in the cassette. I've never dropped the chain since I worked that out.
Finally, the last comment - there are quite a few racers who run compact cranks round here. Trust me, once you're actually in a race, no one is counting the teeth on anyone's chain rings.