Originally Posted by
jaxgtr
I started looking at bikecalc and based on that I agree that a 42 44 might be the better option with the 10-28. My speed if I am by myself is generally 18-21 on a cadence between 80-85 and I am comfortable with that pace for 3 to 4 hour rides. So slight variations for weather variables should make those a good match. Even if I went with a 10-33, I would still be in a good range with a 42 tooth front.
Bike Calc is a great place to play with gear combinations. At your 90 cadence your 44x10 would give you 31 MPH. How often would you pull that on the flat land that you ride? You'd be going over 40MPH before you ever spun out (120 rpm) with that kind of gearing. If all you will ever ride is flat terrain, you'll have gear combinations on the high and low end that you'll never need for your 90 cadence.
If there's a chance you might use the bike in the mountains or in hilly terrain, I'd consider a wider gap cassette in the back and a smaller ring in the front. With a 40 in the front and an 11-42 out back, your 90 cadence would give you 25.6 MPH. You'd hit 34 MPH before you spun out. My riding style is like yours and I have ridden this combination. It never left me wanting. It did serve me well the several times I took it into the mountains. That's something the 46 and 10-33 would not have done.
Long winded way of saying that if all you will ever ride is flat land, you can't really go with a bad combo. If you might hit the hills, consider a wider range in the back and smaller in the front.