42/32/22 Alivio crankset with 11-32 9-speed cassette should give me all the range I'd ever want even if some of the rear shifts are kinda wide. Can't wait to get it out in the ND sand hills, which are actually sandy prairie with some rocky areas. The hills vary from rolling to short stretches of "Oh my God". The other area its designed for is the MN lakes country where there are lots of twisty packed loam trails with assorted climbs and drops. This is the first offroad bike (hard tail with rigid fork, cross between a cyclocross and old style MTB) I've built so wish me luck.