Compact crankset, how to use and criticality of cross chaining I have a road bike with 50/34 compact crankset and 12/27 10sp cassette.

While I don't think I could run a 53/39 one given the hills I happen to climb, but sometimes I get the feeling the right gears are precisely close to the cross chaining limit.

I get the feeling when riding on the 34 that it is always too easy unless I ride on the 12/13/14t cogs, or when on the 50, that it is too hard unless I get on the 21t cog...

I mean, when on the flat, I feel better on the 50 as I could get faster spots when smaller cogs will definitely be better, but when riding at ~25kph, it just feels like I am all the time "in between"...

Any tips?

Also, given that the crankset only has two rings, is the cross-chaining less of an issue than on a triple?
A 53 x 39 won't really make things better for you as you'll be even more cross geared in your 53. That said, riding a 50 x 21 on your 12-27 cassette can't really be considered cross gearing.

If you'd like less of a jump in ratios when shifting the front chain ring, might I suggest a cyclocross crankset? Shimano's cx50 and cx70 offer a 46x36 up front. They'll let you ride more in the middle of your cassette on the 46 and still give you a decent low ratio. You do lose a little top end but few people are exceeding 50kph for any length of time.

I have a cyclocross bike with a 46x36 and a 12x27 and find it fully useable for the speeds I pedal at and shifting the front doesn't result in 3 gear changes in the rear.

Here's a link to the Shimano cross cranksets: http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/cyclocross/cx70.html