Hello all. Long time reader here, first time posting. I have a question about changing the gearing on what is presently my touring bike and what kind of compatibility issues i might run into. here is what i have now:

-sram 500 tt shifters (being used as drop bar bar-end shifters because i like that nice classic look)
-apex front and rear derailleurs
-fsa gossamer 50/34 compact crankset
-11-32 cassette (also apex i believe)

...which is a perfect setup for when i am riding without much weight, because i can push the lower gears on all the steepest hills here in NOVA (which is to say, not very steep or long). however, i am planning on a good long tour a few months down the road which will involve some much more challenging hills and ~50 lbs of weight in the panniers. when i do fully-loaded practice runs, i notice two things: 1 - i practically never use the big chainring, 2- i will probably end up wanting a lower low-end gearing if i cross through, say, the rockies.

i am pretty sure already that i am going to swap the 50t ring for a 44 (though finding a 44t 110bcd with ramps is proving difficult - any suggestions on where to find one?) but what i am really curious about is this: the max cassette tooth compatibility for apex RD according to sram is 32. if i buy an 11-36 cassette, will the apex derailleur *sort of* work, or not at all? what about if get an X5 rear der to go with that 11-36 cassette and toss them on my road bike - will they just work, or will my "road" parts get angry at my "mountain" parts? i assume i will need a new chain since the cassette would be bigger - but maybe not, if i also go ahead with the 50t to 44t chainring swap? i don't want to invest another couple hundred bucks in an experiment that might completely fail. your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

(sorry for the long post)