Mike -- good points. I was gonna try to write something similar, but you said it best. I, too, would suggest to HiYo to dump the high gears and not worry about 19" vs. 21", etc. on the low end. In my mind, a 46/36/26 triple with a 12-32 cassette seems ideal for touring (in the US). Don't even know the gear inches, and I'm sure there's a hill or two where I'd trade my soul for a lower gear. But I'm currently riding a "worse" setup (28x28 for low gear, I think), and I've never had a problem.

The physics phenomenom you mention is the same one that makes helium balloons end up in the front seat of your car when you accelerate (assuming they were in the back seat when you started ). Strange, that.

-- Mark