Originally Posted by canklecat

Go for it. After an injury and illness in 2018 I was pretty weak. I replaced my 52/42 chainrings with 50/39, then a 38T small chainring, and swapped from a 7-speed 13-25 to 13-28 freewheel. Helped a lot on climbs and riding into stiff headwinds while I was getting back into shape.

I've put a set of 52/42 Biopace back on that bike, but will probably go back to the 50/39 or 50/38 chainring setup, with the 13-28 freewheel. The only thing I lose with that gear combo is I'm spun out on fast downhills with a tailwind. Not a big deal since I don't use that bike to chase Strava KOMs or PRs. I have another bike for that. I prefer to keep my steel road bike comfy for long rides on roller coaster terrain with lots of short, steep climbs.

Check out Vuelta chainrings. Best buy in top quality chainrings. I have them in 50T (ramped and pinned for better shifting) and 39 and 38 plain rings (no need for ramped and pinned small chainrings on most bike/shifter setups).