Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
If you have what would have been typical straight from the factory gearing on your Trek or Co-Mo, I bet you an Eagle 10-50 with the right front chain ring actually can give you the same or better range. Se my example above.
We ride the Co-Mo mostly, it has 52/39/26 chain rings and 11-34 cassette. In gear inches, the range is 20.6 to 127.6, or a range of 6.19. We are a fit but senior team, with a house in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. Rides from our house typically involve close to 100’ of climbing for every mile ridden, and involve a few grades that get above 10%. Yes, we could probably accept a narrower range, but I like what I have and it works perfectly.
If we lived in flatter terrain, or were a stronger team, different gearing could make sense. We have certainly been on rides where I never use the small ring. But I’ve never regretted having it available.