Poor Man's Compact Crank

I noticed a few months, in Leonard Zinn's Velo News column, that FSA is offering a range of aftermarket chainrings for 130mm and 110mm bolt circle diameters. These got a good review from the big guy. They are CNC machined and heat treated in the modern style, with all the extra ramps and pins that make them shift as well as those that come on new 9- and 10- speed cranks.

I googled up a place to order and have now obtained and installed on my classic DA crank: 38 tooth inner, 50 tooth outer. (38 is the smallest you can fit to the 130mm bolt pattern.) This has changed my bike a lot more than I would have thought. Here're some impressions:
The change from 53/39 to 50/38 is very noticeable and pleasant. The 50 tooth bigring is much better for me in our local terrain. With 53/39, I often found myself in a "between" state, with slight changes in speed needing a double shift. With the 50/38 I can stay in the bigring for a larger percentage of riding, I guess for me about 75% (up from something around 50% with the 53.) Basically, I only need to downshift to the small ring when a good hill looms. In the small ring, even 1 fewer teeth is noticeable, and makes those steepest hills a bit easier to climb.

I also like the closer ratio. Shifting from 50 to 38 seems more natural, with less of that "clunk" feel I get when dropping from 53 to 39.

I highly recommend the 50 bigring, especially. The only down side is that I spin out at about 35 instead of 40 (rough estimates). I deal with that problem by coasting once I can't peddle fast enough in the top gear.
The 50 bigring comes standard on the new compact cranks. These compacts often come with 34 tooth smallring. I think that's great for mountains, but for many people it is lower than they need around here. Again, you can go to FSA and get a 36 or 37 for that crank and have a less clunky front downshift and use the smallring more, saving chewing up the bigring with the chain angled too much.

Installing new chainrings is fairly simple, and it gives you a chance to get the crank clean for the first time since it left the showroom.

Just FYI, when you wear out the rings that came from the crank factory.