I'm new here and getting back into cycling after about 6 yrs of life getting into the way. I'm curious what people have for a gear setup. I'm still with a double front chainring on my 12 yr old Bianchi - 52-39. With my 42 yo legs I just switched from a 12-23 8 spd cassette in the rear to a 13-26 but find I'm searching a little more for the right gear. I went to the 26 for hill climbing around our area and fighting the incessant wind.

I've used standard gearing for flat centuries.

I have a fast touring bike with fairly low gears (triple & very wide cassette) which I plan to use for hilly centuries and longer rides.

With an older bike, I'm not sure of any affordable options other than getting a very wide cassette (e.g. 11-34). Even that may require a new RD. A compact double would require a new crankset; a triple would require a new crankset, FD and BB....

13-26 sounds pretty reasonable, but you could probably do 27 and use the same RD (longer chain tho).

i ride 53,39x12-27 (for mountain brevets mostly).

i used to ride 11-23/5 but the 27 made a difference i can feel on the steep stuff.

I have had the exact same question in my mind recently.
I own a Bianchi Volpe with a triple - don't know the exact tooth count - but it is really really good for the hilly stuff. The bike is almost truck-like its so steady and solid. But I also own an old Fuji race bike which is great in the FLATS and TERRIBLE on hills because I'm too fat and weak and out of shape to pump it like I was 22. I'm considering a complete component rebuild well, shifters and derailleurs anyway but also the cassette and the front rings too so I actually CAN ride this bike anywhere I want. It really pains me to see it sit all by its' lonesome never being used.
Anyone have a good formula for the maine/nh/vermont region? Is there some sort of rule-of-thumb I need to learn?

Climbing is an interesting thing. On my 2 bikes I ride regularly, both have triples and wide cassettes. My kona is much heavier, has all the commute/touring hardware, but has a Sugino XD crankset with 46/36/26 - that with an 11-34 8spd cassette is enough to ride the bike fully loaded (or kid trailer in tow) up almost any grade.

My LeMond has a 12-27 cassette with a triple crank (can't recall tooth count). It's comfortable and fast on moderate climbs, but I've noticed once I get to 10% grades or steeper it's less stable compared to my Kona. In fact yesterday climb that was 16% for a short distance, I gave the flats of my bars a good tug to position the saddle better and the front wheel popped up a few inches. Scared the snot out of me.

As a Clyde who likes to ride hills, I've found it necessary to lower my gearing to keep things easy on my knees.
From the stock gearing on my Cross Check, I swapped for a 34t inner ring and an 11-32t cassette. I may not be fast, but I can climb anything now.

I'm in a similar situation to some of you. I have a 20+ year old bike that came new with 42x53 and 13-21 6-speed. Back when I was in my 20's and riding a lot, that gearing was low enough - heck. I even spent a few months in Colorado and hit some of the big mountain passes with that gearing. Now I'm a lot older, and little heavier, and ride a lot less, so I need much lower gearing.

The cheapest solution is to get larger cogs in the rear. You've already done that. If you're looking for a lower low gear, you may be able to go even larger. The max cog spec for Shimano road derailers is 27T but I am able to get my Dura-Ace rear derailer to run on a 13-30 freewheel.

You could also looking at getting a compact double if you need even lower gears. I didn't feel like dropping a lot of $ on such an old bike so I did a compact double on the cheap by using an old 110/74mm BCD "MTB" triple. It had 26x36x46 rings and I took off the granny, bought a new 110mm BCD 50T ring and - voila - I had a 36x50 compact (probably coulda kept the 46 but 46/13 isn't tall enough for descents, tailwinds, and sprints). I didn't even need to change bottom bracket.

So generally I use 36x50 and 13-26. I also have put on a 34 inner ring and a 13-30 for some really steep stuff.

In talking with my shop the Campy EXA Drive that I have comes in the 13-26 as the best option (for 8 gears) - which is what I went back to. If I wanted to make other changes (more gears/larger # of teeth, etc) it would require more money which isn't in the equation right now.

So, far the 13-26 is working ok but I'll know more tomorrow after I pull a 5 mile hill in the middle of my training ride. My leg are strong from years of squats and leg presses but the lungs are what I'm still working on.

I am running a 52x39 double with 12-27 rear. The bike was originally speced with 12-25 but my LBS removed by 16 (I think) and added a 27 cog. The bail out gear helps at the end of a long ride, on large percentage grades, and my recent weekend tour. I regularly climb >10% grades on my training loops and have done the Seven Sisters (AKA Seven *****es) ride in Laguna, CA, which has several sustained grades in excess of 20%, with this gearing. I know I can push the gears on these shorter rides (20-50 miles) but if I am going to do a century or double with lots of climbing (>10,000K or Planet Ultra KOM serise) I am strongly leaning towards getting a compact double up front. I really never need to pedal in 52x12 but I could use a 34x27 sometimes.

Well the ride went well today. 13 miles in I hit the first 5.5 mile climb - not sure on the grade but probably somewhere between 5-7%. I dropped into the 39-26 about a half mile up and cruised to the top between 10.5 and 11 mph. The legs felt good - no lactic acid buildup - which meant I was keeping enough oxygen in the system. (Three weeks ago before switching to the 26 a 2.5 mile climb at a similar grade ate me up with the 39-23). The back side of the hill is probably 4-5% and 3.5 miles long. I pulled that at 12-13 mph switching back and forth between the 23 and 26 depending on the headwind.

Bottom line is I think, for now, that I'll keep this set up and consider a compact double as I get older. I'd really like the Bianchi 928 C2C which comes with a 50-34 up front. Just got to find the funds.

I'll keep this set up and consider a compact double as I get older.

You're 42 and I'm turning 32 in December. I'm considering a compact now. What's my excuse? :) Glad the new gearing is working for you.