Damn. Just looked at what some of these gears would yield at 100 rpm:
48-10=37.78mph
54-10=42.50mph
56-10=44.08mph
while the old 53-11=37.94mph!
I didn’t realize my 48-10 and 53-11 were so matched.
Maybe this is well placed here, with there apparently being some confusion about how SRAM AXS compares to traditional gearing…
(Updated the picture, the other one was a little off)
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53/39 came after 52/42 but before the proliferation of compact cranks.
My girlfriend’s team bike from 2010 or so has 53/39 rings. Even my last team bike from 2017 has a 52 big ring.
Large chainrings <50 teeth are a very, very, VERY recent phenomenon.
Well sure, if you’re going slow/off-road, you might use a smaller big ring.
My girlfriend, for example, downsized to a 50/34 compact when she was pregnant, and had to carry an extra 10 kg up hills.
Those of us who are old enough to have grown up through the 70’s and 80’s remember 53’s and 54’s with (IIRC) 14-25 blocks. Just because that’s all we had back then doesn’t mean it’s better. Anywho, comparing ring size w/o referencing the cassette is pointless.
Given the 48-10 is almost exactly the same as a 53-11 is one thing. Pro’s and elites could use a little more. I get it. But, the 35-33 has made climbing for us joe’s amazingly more utilitarian than the old days of 39-25…
The great thing is there is finally more options for us hobbyist. That’s a huge win.
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For ppl that do gravel and road, I find that 50-34 with 32 in the back is a good compromise, you can tackle pretty much everything…except the last part of this climb where I struggle with the loose gravel + 15%-20% gradient.
The solution of course is either 30 watts more of ftp or an 11-36 in the back.
Even if you are reasonably light/ strong, the 33 or even 36 cassette combined with the smaller rings upfront can be a boon!
I am racing (fingers crossed) in the Alps this summer and there are several >10% climbs that are several kilometers long.
On an 11-12% climb, I need to put out 5W/kg even in the smallest gear (37/33) to remain seated at 85 RPM). Having the possibility to go 36 at the back means, I still have one more gear without going over threshold.
I think a wider range benefits a lot of people… likely the vast majority.
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Yep totally agree.
Hell, even for straight road riding I run a 52-34 with a 32 cassette so that I can keep a higher cadence and endurance watts up most every climb if I want.
This arrived last week. Big is beautiful 
Weight is 291g with the little screws, that is 10g heavier than my 50/37. The whole crankset+chainrings is 625g.
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Lovely !
A friend of mine received his 56/43 already.
54/41 apparently taking another 3 to 4 weeks.
I’m likely going to order 54/41 and run a 10-33 cassette for my road bike TT setup.
41/33 is effectively the same as the 35/28 I’m running now and the 54T will be very efficient for TT’ing compared to the 48T.