Originally Posted by
svtmike
Some people do eliminate one of the front chainrings or get along with a narrow range of gears if they find they never need the full range.
Having had standard, compact, and 50/36 cranks, I switched to a single 46 tooth ring on one bike, and find very little practical difference between any of them. The 46 tooth stinks on grades over 10%, or rollers where you are keeping your speed over 30 the whole time, but in general, is not significantly different than the doubles.