Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
Mea culpa... see, I'm old school. These compact doubles and triples make it hard to talk intelligently about gears in mixed (generation) company. But, post #13... when you lay it out like that. I know what a 66" gear 'feels' like cuz I had one on my fixie (ok, single speed) back in the day. Single speed being the operative word... A triple is practically overkill on a bike with a top gear of 63" but most folders roll like that. My folder has what I think is a 48T/14-28 and I would kill for a few less teeth on the top cog (and a few more on the bottom...). H
My 2010 Kona Dew Drop has a 52/40/30 so you aren't crazy. Cross bikes tend to have more MTB like chain rings. My Dew, though MTB component based, is asphalt geared. :-)
I use my middle ring for starting, accelerating and climbing, but for cruising on level or near level ground, I use my big ring. (cassette is 11-34, if memory serves). I definitely maintain a higher cruising speed with the bigger ring engaged and using a middlin' cog (say 15, 17 or 20) than with the middle chain ring and a smaller cog (like the 13 -- the 11 has some weird chain interference issues right now, that I haven't had time to figure out, anyway).
Likewise, I can accelerate or climb far better using the middle ring, and an appropriate cog for conditions (say 23 for starting on level ground or climbing most hills, 26 for slight inclines or climbing bigger hills. The 34 is for really big hills, and is almost useless for starting, except up a steep hill)