Originally Posted by
rtruectoc
i was wondering if this would alleviate the double shifting involved in a 50/34. i crunched the numbers and in my case with the sram 12-26 it seems so. i currently run a 26/39/50. i never use the easiest gear or the hardest. if i loose my 14 and add a 29, i will have similar ratios as my triple without those two gears. all i need is a48 tooth chainring, so the cost will be minimal. i figure it will save me about 200 grams as well
I tried a 48/34, but eventually returned to 50/34.
I'm a huge fan of compacts, but I think that unless you intend to change cassettes for different types of rides, a triple is better. The issue is that you want tight gear selection in the ranges you actually ride. If you have only one cassette, you may find yourself too close to one end of the cassette or the other.