Quote Originally Posted by Kay76310 View Post
My question for you, if you are riding a compact, what gear do you usually use on the flat roads - big or little?
For a road bike with a compact, I often ride on the small ring either on the flat or hilly road (& it could be quite hilly in my area). Only ride on the big ring on the downhill road (small slope).

Kay76310, I often rode on the big ring before and preferred on the large gear ratio, while my friend who ride a MB preferred on the lower gear ratio. Later I found that riding on a lower gear ratio with higher cadence did help retain my strength. It doesn't make me faster immediately -- maybe a little bit, I don't know the real factor -- but on a long ride, it certainly helps on my average speed since I don't feel tired so quickly. Besides, it does put less strain on your knees and muscles around them.

Anyway, it's just a habit how you like to ride your bike. However, I believe that if you want to improve your overall speed, then a lower gear ratio with a higher cadence is the way to go. But it matters little for a casual ride. You can see this blog post, "Optimal Cadence".