Originally Posted by
AzTallRider
I use a 53/39, with cassette's ranging from 11-28 to 12-23. Just switched to 11-25 from 12-25 for my default racing setup. I rarely need more than a 39-23 combo, but there are a couple of climbs where I need the 25, and one where I need the 28 and still just barely make it. But none of our races put me into anything bigger than a 25, and if I'm not on top of that, I'm out of the race. I am frequently in the 53-11, and often spin that out: our Saturday team ride includes a 40+ downhill. We don't have a lot of true "cols" here, but there are a lot of gentler climbs, and a typical Saturday ride will have 3-4K of elevation gain. 50/34 has me shifting the rings way too much: my sweet spot straddles the two rings.
Isn't that terrain / race dependent? (although that has been one of the surprises for me on the Fuji - I'm spending alot more time on the big ring than I used to).
Am I correct in asserting that pinning your sweet spot down is pretty crucial and that it will move up with fitness? It certainly has been the case for me so far.