Originally Posted by cyclintom
So you see that the lowest of your low gears is missing but let's think about this: the difference between the lowest triple gear and the lowest Compact is hardly noticeable in use.
jppe (poster) is currently using a 12/27 cassette with his triple and is thinking about switching to a compact set with the same 12/27 cassette. His 30 ring granny currently yields 30 gear inches with the 27 cog while the 34 small compact ring will give him 34 inches with the same cog. Now that is a big difference.