That's still a big ring. Most people back in the day had a 52 or 53. When I started hanging out with lots of racers in the late '70s (SW Michigan) most everyone was running 42/53 with a 13-18 or 14-19 corncob. Mind you these were strong riders; most off the shelf boom bikes would have had a comparable front end but a 14-28 in back. I'm still stuck in that era so I can't comment on how it compares with today's bikes.