Originally Posted by Barrettscv

Here is the comparison between the two gearsets;



Anything above 100 gear inches is going to need a steep decent and climbing in Iowa is limited to short sections of a mile or less. I would really be surprised if the OP could not climb the steepest section with a 34 & 25 combination. Just as important as hill climbing will be the wind in Iowa. Having a 15% + change in cadence can be a real handicap when fighting a 15 to 25 mph headwind for 6 to 8 hours.