Originally Posted by Juilin
Do you think a 46-36-26 would pair well with a shimano 8spd 11-30. Seems to be to provide a good range but I've never done fully loaded touring before.
I have a 13-30 7-speed rear cassette on a couple of touring bikes and it works well with a 46-36-24, but at times on steep grades I wish for a 32 rear. So go ahead and get the 46-36-26 chainset and swap the 26 for a 24 - they're only $15-20 from Harris Cyclery or Alfred E Bike. Then in the back, either run the 13-30, or if you are going to be in hilly regions, go with a 13-32 or 12-32 cassette. Harris has those too. You won't really need an 11 cog for touring.
Be careful not to get a "Megarange" that jumps from 26 to 34 on the largest two cogs - it is too large a jump for touring where you run in the bottom two or three gears a lot. Those are for people with recreational bikes who want a normal riding range plus a "bailout" gear. I think the ideal 8 speed cassette for touring is the 12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32. Paired with 46-36-24 it is ideal coverage, giving you 20 to 100 gear inches.