Originally Posted by
woodenidol
I agree for my part. Im looking at a compact and then weighing my options for the rear. Guessing on what my old RD can handle, I think I could go 50/34-14/26, leaving me to only switch out the crank and redoing he rear cogs.
It looks like if I do a whole bunch more, changing RD, 6t to 9t rear, new or rebuilt rims, that as much as I love the frame, I might be better off looking at another bike. shruggs.
Dooood... check out the Late Sheldon Brown's Hetchins:
http://sheldonbrown.org/hetchins/index.html
It's got a 50/28 double on the front!
Personally, I think shifting would be dicey with that big of a gap, but it's doable. If it were my bike, I'd probably go triple: 24/39/50 with a 13-28 9-speed on the rear. But then I've got too many parts as it is.