Back in the day, I used to putter along in the 42 (small)/17 or 42/19 a lot on slight uphills/flats.

There was really no use for the big (53) on anything except for downhills.

Now, with a smaller, and therefore more useful big (50) on compacts, along with a wider gear range on 10 speed cassettes, I am using both the big and small to an almost equal degree on flats, and small rolling hills.

I do find myself double shifting quite a bit, probably because both the big ring is more useful and also because STI makes a lot of shifting a lot easier.

So, I'm using the 50 a lot with the 5 lower gears, and the 34 a lot with the 5 higher gears. I find myself 'experimenting' a lot looking for the 'best' gear on flats.

Do you have a preferred or favorite gear on flats/slight uphills?

Do any of you consider a triple with a 39 middle ring a better solution for gearing than compact?