Originally Posted by
wphamilton
Let's not say that no one needs a 53-39 or that it's too tall for anyone slower than a Cat3 racer. Personally I can get by with just a single 44 gear in front, but I like having a 53 better.
Standard road double 53-39 is fine for average riders, and people do complain about drawbacks of compact gearing. Mainly the extra shifting between rings they find themselves doing.
Last reason is why I ride a 50/38 on my main bike...both rings more usable than 53/39 and maintaining close gearing. 50/34 and lack of gear redundancy is the price for having more climbing gears...a learnable combo which takes more discipline to ride because easier to get caught between two rings with big gap but with practice manageable.