Fiets, when I mentioned my 16t jump from 24 to 40, the bike shifted fine with proper technique, the thing I wanted to bring up was more that the large jump between the two is a bit of a pain, having to up or downshift 2 or sometimes 3 gears to make up for the large jump.
No diff from using a compact 50/34 I guess, and it certainly works fine enough, I just personally find the hassle something I would avoid if setting up a bike, and anyway for my skinny legs I just find smaller mid rings in the 32, 34 (of which you dont see much) or 36 to be much better suited for loaded touring riding.
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On two of my bikes I am running a triple with 46/42/24 (half step plus granny) and an eight speed 11/32 cassette.
I agree that the shift down or up between the 42 and 24 is pretty big. On the two bikes that use that shifting, I use bar ends and I have gotten used to simultaneously shifting both front and rear.
But since i only use the granny gear when I really need it, I use it quite rarely. Thus the few times I make that shift, I don't let any inconvenience bother me. The downshift is quite smooth, but the upshift often takes a bit of an overshift, making the friction shifter worth having. I assumed I might frequently drop a chain on the downshift, so I put a chain catcher on first thing so I do not know if it is really needed or not, but I can say I never drop the chain.
I am not much of a spinner, cadence usually between about 72 to 78 on my derailleur bikes.
The upshift from a 24 to 42 on my bikes is an increase in gear ratio of 75 percent. Or the 24 to 40 that you had was an increase of 67 percent. But a compact crank from 34 to 50 is only 47 percent.
But I know that most people would not like half step gearing, just commenting that it works for me.
