Originally Posted by
DaveSSS
A 50/18 is very close to a 48/17, but after the 17 is a 19. How awful. The idea of a specific perfect gear ratio is still silly, IMO. Wind conditions alone make the gear ratio requirements change, even riding the same route over and over. What was perfect one day won't be the next.
I've been riding my 48/32 cranks and 11-34 cassettes for almost a year now. If there's anything to complain about, it's the 19-22 shift. On a few occasions, neither may seem right but with the constantly changing slopes I ride, it doesn't last for more than a minute.
Well that's great for you, but I don't see how
your preferred gearing has any relevance to anyone else's. I like a tight cassette - it suits my riding style and the rolling terrain I inhabit. It works for
me. There's nothing magical about the 18, but in the context of a straight 12-19 run, it gets plenty of use. Sure, I could achieve the same ratio by dipping down onto the small ring, but jumping from ring to ring to achieve a specific ratio makes no sense, when I could just use a cassette that provides that nice straight run that I prefer.