Originally Posted by
Andy_K
Really?
I want a triple because with a compact double I'm constantly shifting between the big and little rings as I start and stop, whereas with a triple I can leave it in the 39T ring for almost everything, just using the 50T in the rare cases where I feel like pedaling downhill and the 30T in the one case where I need to go up a very steep hill. A 50T ring isn't suitable for starting from a stop, and a 34T ring isn't suitable for my normal cruising speed. Not to mention, 34x28 isn't really low enough for that one hill I've got.
It just depends on overall gearing. If you have that 11-28 cassette with a 50-36 double then the big ring is too big and the small ring isn't small enough. It's race gearing, you're
supposed to be pushing all the time. But a 11-34 cassette and a 36 bottom ring will get you about the same low gear you had with the triple.