A 48 tooth ring and a 13-x freewheel will yield a decent top gear of 92 gear inches which is pretty ideal for commuting and touring... my Kuwahara Cascade is a 26 inch wheeled tourer with a 28/40/48 and a 13-34 7 speed block that has a tighter 13-18 range and that huge bailout option.
A lot of mid eighties mtb's came with a more hybrid like gearing with that 28/38/48 set up which worked well with the 14-28 blocks they were equipped with.