Originally Posted by CyclingFool95

At 45 I was still climbing everything in my area on 42/53 with 8-speed 12-21 and 12-23 cassettes. 7 years later, all my bikes are 50/34, although I'm thinking of switching to 36/52 because the 34 is just too small, even with an 11, and the 16 tooth jump in the front can be jarring.