Touring - Help with gearing please

I have a cannondale T-900 touring bike that I used to ride on tours alot, I just loved it. Anyways a few years ago I broke the crank arm. I can't find the crank arms that used to be on it so I do not no the size chainrings that were on it. Anyways I need a triple chain ring but my dilemma is this, i have an 11-28 hyperglide cluster on the rear rim. I need suggestions on how many teeth I will need on the front chainrings, I would use the bike for touring and day trips. The chainrings I had before were perfect, but alas I can't find them or recall what they were. Thank you

Hi,
there is a rear derailleur called Megarange. It goes up to 32 and 34. You might want to try the 32. That really helps lower the gearing. Road triples like the Ultegra have a 30t small ring. If you want lower than 30/32 you will need a Mtn bike crankset. One option is to have a STI shifter on the right controlling the rear der. On the left you put a bar end shifter. That gives you out of the saddle shifting, with Mtn bike gearing up front. If you can't find a RH shifter elsewhere, Cambria bike has them.

I don't know how strong of a rider you are, but for most hard core tourist, they use the old standard of 110mm/74mm Chainrings. Combined with the 34 or 32T Rear cog, you can get the most range of gears to go almost any place in the US.

If you are strong, get the Ultegra/105 that goes as low as 30T Chainring, but if you are like me (i.e. not super strong) Get the 110/74mm crankset. Sugino XC500 is one of the best. It's used on Grant Peterson's Touring Bikes or Rivendell Bicycles. You can also get Mountain bike cranks which are geared lower.

Also, do you know what year your cannondale T-900 is?? I would recommend that you do a search online. I bet you can find the original specs somewhere if you know the year.

Good Luck

Miyataphile

Yes I found out what the specs are the front chain rings are 22/32/42 and the rear is 11/28. I was a very strong rider but am not anymore, because I have not ridden seriously for a few years now, but I am going to be getting back into it. I used to do mainly road riding and touring, but I sold my road bike and have 2 cannondales, ones a tourer and the other is a rigid cannondale mountain bike frame. I found that the gearing was absoloutly perfect for carriying loads or just tooling around town. Unfourtunatly on my cross canada tour I did not really pay much attention to my drive train and chewed through it because of lack of maintenance to it, ie. lube, which for me was strange because on my racer I would have the drive train looking and running like new, because I cleaned and re lubed it after every ride. I guess my T-900 was just so beefy and tough looking I did not think that the bike needed maintenance.
I cracked the crank arm on the chainring side right on the inside near one of the corners of the bolthole. It was a very small crack, but it caused the crank arm to fall off while I was riding. I think I am going to go with the 22/32/42 just because I liked it so much before, also I like to spin at very high candences. I am hoping now that I have spent all this time off the bike my neck injury will not haunt me like it would in the old days, I think I will get a mirror so I do not ruin my neck like I did in the old days by constantly looking over my shoulder.

Yes I found out what the specs are the front chain rings are 22/32/42 and the rear is 11/28.

That sounds like a good combo. When I tour, I typically go with a top gear just under 4:1 - usually 48/13. I'm not in hurry when I'm touring so if I spin out the top gear, I just coast. Since your cassette starts with an 11, a 42 or 44 big ring gives a plenty tall top gear for touring.

You could go with 110/74mm BCD and get 24x34x44 combo (24 is the smallest 74mm ring and 34 is nearly the smallest 110mm ring) but most 110/74mm cranks come with bigger rings. So I'd recommend 94/58mm BCD and 22x32x42 or 22x32x44 rings.