Originally Posted by
ls01
I was thinking similar, but move to a 48 34,
That works too. I actually did that for a while. But for standard Shimano (which I typically run), it would require you to go with aftermarket rings. And while I am a relatively timid descender, I actually encountered a few too many times where 48x11 (or 48x12) was just not a big enough gear. I did not encounter that with a 50x11 or 50x12. 50 vs 48 seems to be the critical point (at least for me) i nthat point.
Besides with 50x36, If you have some ride where you really think you'll need a 34, you can always switch small rings to the 34 and just go. But if you want to swap to a larger big ring for any reason, you are then also forced to adjust the front derailleur which is a real pain in the rear