Originally Posted by
Kerlenbach
Moving from a triple to a compact double was one of the smartest things I've ever done. I have no hills to climb ("Our offroad hills are only about 1 to 1 1/2 miles long and vary from 10 to 15% with the occasional steep bit." Holy smokes - reading that gives me heart palpitations) so I'm almost never in the small cog. But I'm thinking of changing the 50 for a 48 or even a 46 to give me more flexibility in the use of the cassette. I've never come close to spinning out on the high end, and there are times when I could use a lower gear on the low end without shifting to the small ring.
Have you considered something like cyclocross gearing? I would think 38-48 or 38-46 would give you the smaller big ring you want plus a much more useable small ring for flatlands with a smoother transition between the rings. The compact 34-50 works well in my area, but if I didn't need the low gear from the 34/28 combo, I would rather use a 39-53 standard double with a 12-whatever cassette.