Originally Posted by Patriot
My wife has a 50/34 CT with a 12-25 cassette, and she climbs some of the biggest hills around here right along with me. I personally think the CT is not a compromise, but an improvement for those who want better climbing capabilities, but not the shifting hassle and weight of a triple.
Your wife must be in shape and light. A 34-25 just isn't going to provide the gearing a triple with 30-26 will which is necessary for some on the really steep and long stuff after 30 miles of riding into a cold stiff wind. A compact is a compromise in terms of gearing. Some believe a compact is just a marketing gimmick i.e. if limited to two chainrings up front, better to find a gearing sweet spot for a given rider by changing the rear cassette and sticking with a std. double. I wouldn't go that far but I have ridden them and while I can ride anything prefer a triple. Its good to have choices. Any cyclist doesn't know what is best for he or she until they try a given configuration and decide what they like best.
George