Originally Posted by
expatbrit
Admittedly, I'm just under true clyde in weight, but I live in the foothills of the Sandia's in NM, and so end up climbing quite a bit.
The new bike is a CX bike, with CX gearing. 46/36 on the front, 12-27 on the rear.
Would this be a 'useful' ride upgrade, in my continued quest to ride up grades? Or am I better off just staying where I am and riding more. (Or, optimally, both?)
OP, you currently have a 10 tooth gap on the crank, which makes for brilliant front shifting. If you put on a 34 ring, it would still shift lovely.
Compact 50/34 cranks, and this new goofy 52/36, both use a 16 tooth jump which is less crisp than a 14 tooth jump (like a 50/36 or 53/39) and significantly less crisp than what you have. What you will find is that many people with these large gaps try to ride 95% of the time on one ring, and shift the front as little as possible, and recommend wide range cassettes to let them stay in that single ring. With a close gap, you get to use all 20 gears, incredibly easily.
IMO, 34T 110 BCD rings are as common as cats and dirt cheap. Install one, and don't look back.