Originally Posted by
Looigi
What benefits do you feel you will get from a 38 small ring over the 34 you have now?
I don't know what the OPs reasons are, but take a look at the two gear strips.
with 34/50 there's almost no overlap, and the most commonly used gears in the 70-85 range are crossed.
By enlarging the inner, he adds overlap in the center, increasing the options at the transition point. I don't know where or how he rides, but I long ago (decades before they came up with so-called compact drive) set my high gear at nearer to 100, and in the OPs situation would not only go to a 38 inner, but would shop for a 46 or 45 outer, to pack the gears into the range where he does most of the riding.