Bicycle Mechanics - Help With Lower Gearing

My Trek 1.1 has 2300 STI with 50/34 and a Sun Race 12-25 cassette. On the flats it's fine but hills are a problem for me. Top end is more than adequate, but I definitely need a lower bottom end to negotiate the more interesting rides in my area.

What's the best way to go about this? While it'd be nice to swap some rings and cogs, I'm not adverse to replacing the current set-up with triple front and upgrade the whole she-bang to 105 or better. I like this bike a lot and plan to use it for quite awhile.

Seems like you're going to need a long-cage RD whatever you do.

I'd go for a triple so as to keep my ratios reasonably close, and since that means losing the shifters, I'd replace em with Ergo for at least two reasons: they're a simpler and more reliable design, and the front shifting is all trim and no index, which IMO is way better, particularly when working a triple (if that's no longer the case I'd look for NOS).

Also, adverse (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adverse) is a different word to averse (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/averse), which is what you meant.

I was thinking of using bar-end shifters eventually, but would like them to be indexed.

I've always found indexed front shifting a pain to set up so the trim positions do what they're supposed to; it's often a finnicky deal to avoid some chain rub.

Of course, bar-ends being essentially the same thing as DTs, you won't have that issue because you won't have STI's silly unidirectional lever mechanism necessitating some sort of index action; you'll feel essentially the same thing through your left lever that an Ergo user does.

Naturally, those of us who aren't rabid retrogrouches all prefer rear indexing.

Agree with kimmo - a non-indexed front derailleur works better. With an indexed FD you will be continually trying to tweak it so no 'trimming' ever needed, and you will not succeed.

With an indexed FD you will be continually trying to tweak it so no 'trimming' ever needed, and you will not succeed.

It's possible, particularly with 7spd, but you have to be willing to tweak your cage.

A shifter (adjustable wrench/spanner/whatever, you know what I mean) is the go, along with patience, moderation and a careful hand. That steel is brittle.

You have to think about it pretty hard in order not to worsen the front shifting... I was happy just to tweak my last FD to reach one more cog without rub.

Yes Shimano, seems the bar end shifter for rear index/friction option.
now with11t cogs on cassettes you can get a sufficient high with a Mountain crank
44:11 = 48:12.. but 74mm bcd for the 3rd ring stops at 24t. MTB Compact type offers a 22t..

Way better than the 34:34, or at most a 34:36 keeping the compact double.

The simplest path to easier gearing would be a mtn bike cassette with a 32 or 34 large cog, a mtn bike rd and a new chain.