I have not quite warmed up to the standard compact crank (50, 34) yet. Last year's WI ride was my first extended trip on a compact and I didn't like how frequently I changed the front gears. Probably because I work out exclusively on a single-speed, --I look for a single chainring that covers 90% of my needs. That used to be the 39 or 42 front chainring. Front gear changes always seem disruptive to me compared to how smoothly I can dial in the rear cluster.

I am building a 42, 26 "sub compact" to see if that feels "perfect" to me (42 for everything, unless there's a killer steep hill where I need to spin up the steep face). Not tested yet, so I can't yet say I love it.