Originally Posted by
American Euchre
Well, yeah, that was my point earlier. I think most commuters would be better served with a 39 middle ring, or a 42 or 44 ring. You can ride on the flats in that ring, and only shift down a couple of gears for stops to get rolling again.
In a 50, you have to downshift a handful of gears or downshift to the small ring. Compared to a 39, you're more likely to be close to the lowest cog, possibly cross chaining or having to shift down to the small ring. It's doable, but less convenient.
Why does one need to shift down a 'handful' of gears when riding with a 50 but only need to shift a couple of gears with a 42. Seems like it should be the same.
I think one should choose the big ring size so you spend most of the time in the middle of the rear cassette. For me, and many others, the 50 works well for that purpose.