That's dandy. I live in Wilson, Wyoming, at the base of Teton Pass, max gradient ~10% (some say parts are steeper . . .) over est. 5.2 miles. I ride other long hills as well. The remark and the product review notes generally both seem to emphasize the effect of the 29 tooth cog on climbing, particularly with a compact 50-34 crankset. I use a compact and welcome a 29-tooth cog. Yippee! But what goes up also goes down. As a rider who covers lots of mountainous terrain, I spend my share of time descending, usually less than 10% . . . and spinning out on my current 50-12 combination. At about 38-40 mph my cadence gets so high that little power goes into the pedals – and lots of effort gets wasted on keeping my legs in motion. Would you please ask Matt P or Leonard Z to compare the ratios for a 12-29 cogset on a standard, 54-39 front crankset? I'd like to be able to push the speed downhill instead of tucking at 39mph – hence my interest in a downhill 54-12 combination. But if a 39-29 combination is WORSE than my current best climbing option (34-25), then I'll know not to go with a standard front crankset, and instead be content with the downhill limits of 50-12.

That's dandy. I live in Wilson, Wyoming, at the base of Teton Pass, max gradient ~10% (some say parts are steeper . . .) over est. 5.2 miles. I ride other long hills as well. The remark and the product review notes generally both seem to emphasize the effect of the 29 tooth cog on climbing, particularly with a compact 50-34 crankset. I use a compact and welcome a 29-tooth cog. Yippee! But what goes up also goes down. As a rider who covers lots of mountainous terrain, I spend my share of time descending, usually less than 10% . . . and spinning out on my current 50-12 combination. At about 38-40 mph my cadence gets so high that little power goes into the pedals – and lots of effort gets wasted on keeping my legs in motion. Would you please ask Matt P or Leonard Z to compare the ratios for a 12-29 cogset on a standard, 54-39 front crankset? I'd like to be able to push the speed downhill instead of tucking at 39mph – hence my interest in a downhill 54-12 combination. But if a 39-29 combination is WORSE than my current best climbing option (34-25), then I'll know not to go with a standard front crankset, and instead be content with the downhill limits of 50-12.