Seems like you could stay in the 50 ring all the time. Why even go to the 34 ring, except for a significant hill?
Maybe because from a stop, the big ring is too big, even if you cross chain?
I think that 1 x 10 or 1 x 11 makes a lot of sense for a commuter, with something like a 42, or even 39 tooth chainring. This combination puts the rider right in the middle of the cassette most of the time. Some ask about giving up top end speed, but realistically, how many people can really use a big gear of 121 gear inches on a commuter?