I am with the go triple gang. If you are going to do hills a lot all the more. i went from a triple to a compact and it was a expensive big mistake. I went to the expense of going to a 11/36 cassette and a long reach rear derailleur. It helped a lot but there is still a large gap between gears at times. Good luck.

It is possible to change the entire performance of a bike with gear changes. I run a triple also and originally had a 52-42-30 chain ring on the front with a 13 - 26 cassette. I needed lower gears for some planned rides. The original rings were changed out for a 50-39-26 set. The suggestion of the 26T chain ring came from Barrettscv and has worked fine. Shifting from 26T to 39 is a bit sluggish but it does work reliably. I put together a cassette with a 30T cog. I don't need this low gearing for everything so the original cassette is on an older wheel that is easily swapped out, depending on the ride I'm doing.

My, or anyone elses gearing solution is unlikely to be right for you but you can see that many options are available to you. As has been suggested, play around with a gear calculator to determine what will fit your needs. I like this gear calculator because it is very visual. https://www.gear-calculator.com/#

One more option has just become available. Shimano has gone ten speed on the 2012 Tiagra.

I noticed this 12-30 ten speed cassette on the Harris website: https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html#10

https://techdocs.shimano.com/techdocs...&bmUID=iDDUroI

A 12-30t ten speed will work with all road derailleurs.

I think that the 30t cog will not work well on the older (7800/6600 and prior) short cage rear derailleurs that have a nominal 27t max cog. You can push them somewhat, especially if you tune the B screw, but 30t may be too far. It may differ depending on the frame's chain hanger and where it positions the derailleur.

If you have a 50/34 or 52/36 compact then those derailleurs definitely won't be able to handle the chain wrap. You can push it a bit past the specification but that's too far.

I use a 50/34 and 12-30 for extra difficult climbing races. I use a 7603 triple rear derailleur for it.

While the rated max cog on 5600 & 6600 is 27, there is plenty of safety factor built in. I've installed 11-32t cassettes with great results. I do not recommend the 11-32 without qualification, since an unusually short derailleur hanger could cause a problem.

Chain wrap is much the same issue. Most derailleurs will accept more than the rated value. The Specialized Tarmac SL3 Pro uses a 52 & 36 crankset with an 11-28 cassette and this combination exceeds the chain-wrap specification more than a 50 & 34 crank and the 12-30 cassette drivetrain. The chain length just needs to be precise since any extra length will cause a chain to sag with the small-small combination. I would not use a 52 & 36 compact with an 12-30, but a 50 & 34t compact should work as will a 53/52 & 39 standard crankset.

Having said that, installing a Ultegra 6703 "GS" long cage derailleur is an ideal solution for users buying a new rear derailleur and installing an 11-32 or 12-30.

I would hope that Sram or Shimano would create a 1070 or 6700 level 12-29 cassette would also include the 16t and would have the following cogs: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24, 29. This would avoid all the issues and would be lighter than the 12-30.

Nothing wrong with old-fashioned equipment.

Replaced the 53/42 crank on my road bike with this 48/36:



Put this 47/42/24 on my commuter:




My wife has this 43/30:



You just have to use the right stuff!

That TA crank is a classic.

My first bike had a 52 & 49t chainrings and a 14-26 freewheel.



I'm glad all kinds of gearing options exist today.

as several above have mentioned I went from 52/42to 48/ 39 12/27 10 speed...made all the difference in the world
Bud

A different take in some ways. First, go to the compact. You will enjoy riding more. Second, vary your climbing often. Meaning, grind larger gears some, spin some, stand some (I enjoy climbing more since I have started standing considerably more). Do not "wear out" a muscle group for the day. Keep changing.

I like standing on hills, but I do spin up to conserve energy. When I spin up, I'm probably doing 10mph or better and I'm not winded and my knees are happy. I use a compact and wide range cassette. Triples make sense on paper, but they make my road bike feel clunky. But, if I was on hills all the time I would just go with a triple and live with it.

If you're spinning up an 8% grade at 10 mph or better that's a pretty fast pace. A 170# rider would need to maintain about 330 watts to go 10 mph on an 8% grade.

I agree with this. I noticed these figures and thought it was probably a bit of a mistake, so I did not comment. If you are pedaling up 8% for two miles at 10 MPH you do not need to change much on your bike.

Where does Frenchfit say he's on an 8% grade?

I agree with varying muscle groups. At the suggestion of Rowan, (many excellent suggestions from many posters have been of immense help over the year and a half I've been riding - thanks all) I began standing on hills. At first, just a few pedal revolutions. Over many weeks I can now stand for many minutes at a time. This is especially usefull on rolling terrain where I'm able to maintain momentum and a surprising amount of speed climbing for several hundred yards. This is very satisfying. On longer and steeper hills I sit and spin so as not to crash and burn in the middle of a long ride but I sure love to blast over the smaller hills.

Well he quoted the OP with the 8% hill as the target. Perhaps his hill isn't 8%.

That is solid Cat 2 power. However, I could do that for 1 minute.