Originally Posted by Belugadave
I have a low gear of 30/32 on my touring bike and it works well for me. With a 30/32 low gear and a cadence of around 60, you will be going around 4.5 mph. I kind of feel like if I go slower than that, I might fall over so I might as well get off and walk.
All the mountainous touring I've done in the Alps, Pyenees etc., and I've never got off and walked. I tried it once on my first tour and found it a lot harder than pedalling! Seriously though, I too was very reluctant to lose my 52 when I got my new touring bike. My old road/touring bike had 52/42/32 and 12-30 (7 speed). In the end my new bike came with 48-38-28 and 11-34. As i didn't have an 11 tooth on the back on my old bike, the top end was really no different for me and so the decision not to change anything was easier. I'm very happy I did. The higher cadence improved my climbing no end and when I was on decent long climbs I was able to climb faster than what I could on the old bike with the higher gearing.