I just got a new specialized secteur compact (yay!) and was on a group ride, and one of the riders was telling me about a double shift.

I got the concept (I think) but have some questions.


Warning: I will probably butcher the correct terms of shifting
12-28 cassette with a 50/34 compact

So the basic idea of the double shift is to shift the rear in the opposite direction of the front. This will compensate for the jump in cadence / pedaling effort when shifting the chainrings?

Assuming all of this, my main concern is ''cross chaining''. Is this okay within limits? what's the deal?

Mathematical logic would dictate that on an 8 speed cassette, anything past the 4th gear would be cross chaining.

Lets say I need more speed (cadence too high)
Currently, I will go to the fifth gear (slight cross chain?) before shifting the front from the 34 to the 50. At the same time, I would shift from the fifth to the fourth (slightly easier, and larger gear). This will help counteract the large change in effort. Is this okay to do?

The guy on the ride was talking about shifting twice or even three times [sounds like bologna for an 8 spd cassette] in the opposite direction.

Please bestow some knowledge upon this new rider.

Thanks!