I loves me my 11-26/compact. Never gotta change gears out or think about it before a race; I'm covered. (I don't do crits tho; I road race on a bi-weekly basis.)
1. I like to train on the gears I'm gonna race, and there's some pretty steep hills around here, like 8 mph @ 5W/kg for 25 min.
2. I love it so much I won't get a quarq until they finally intro the compact version. I figure descending's mostly about positioning/skill and I produce well below 80% of a pro's power output, so why bother with the tall end. Looking back, I've found some >140rpm pedaling sessions on downhills, but don't remember them in particular.
3. Managed to catch the pack with a several minute deficit on a downhill/flat after a crash with this gearing. But I'm a wuss and clearly need a skirt.
