Originally Posted by
Joey Li
Go for the compact. Absolutely no reason not to. Greg Lemond rode his legendary time trial in 1989, to this day the second fastest ever in tour history, with a 55 x 12 gear. A 50 X 11 is nearly as high. A 34 x 28 granny gear is only slightly higher than your current 30 x 25.
I made the stupid mistake of getting a 53/39. When my chainrings wear out I'll be getting a compact, even if I've stared racing.
well to get the 11 and go all the way to the 28 means a lot of holes in the gear range. which means a very thin selection of gears which one might be using MOST of the time, just to not have a leg breaker on the few pitches where a 32 inch gear (34/28) might be needed.
And there are no Lemonds on this list.
If you do start racing you'll find those gearing holes right quick.