Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Two rings can provide low gearing especially if you are willing to give up the top end of the range. I went with 39/26 chain rings on my last tour and was very happy with the combo. I did that by using a triple with the outer ring removed. It worked out very well for me.
note: only possible on some cranksets (like your 110-74 triple).
many older bikes have 130+ BCD cranks which limit the gearing to the higher end. Maybe a 30 on the smaller ring...
that said, a new sugino triple crankset is under a hundred bucks with rings. And the right rack and pannier combo can make the heelstrike issue go away,
what bags do you use? can you move them back? if you move them back too much behind the rear axle, youll want to have weight upfront to balance the bike - front pans.