Originally Posted by
HillRider
Spread sheets are interesting but don't reflect how you really shift. First the 11x34 and 50x32 gears are crosschained and should be avoided. Second, when you make the change from the 50 to the 34T chainring are you really going to make 5 upshifts at the same time?
I did when riding 50-34x13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23 9 cogs going from 50x21 to 34x15, although I used Campagnolo levers which did that with one thumb button actuation. Going back it took two right lever wiggles to up shift from 34x14 to 50x19.
The frequent front shifting was still a huge hassle and taught me that the 50-34 compact crank is a bad idea spawned by marketing departments to eliminate the SKUs associated with triple cranks.
53-39x13-25/26 10 cogs is a good combination although as a lighter rider where 3.5W/kg is only 220W total with a fast spin I prefer a 50 big ring for a better chain line on flat ground over the larger gear I don't need. 46-36x12-25 11 cogs would be fine too. I think people who need more range like when I had 40-60 pounds of middle age spread are better off with triple cranks.