Originally Posted by
cynergy
Hey All,
I'd like to put together a bike using a road bike frame (something like a Surly Pacer) with a medium (not too high, not too low) gear range. I have a road bike with high gears and a touring bike with a triple chain ring with very low gears.
I'd like to put something together with a double chain ring and a normal road front derailleur and road rear derailleur. I'd like to have 700cc tires and a medium to low gear range for riding the hills. I have occasional soreness in my left knee and would like to keep the required torque down so I can avoid aggravating the knee.
Today I am riding a Ti road bike with a 48/34 chainring double, and a 12-27 cassette. This is on rolling terrain, and I find I spend a lot of time using the front derailleur. So on the flats I'm in the 48 ring, and otherwise in the 34 for the frequent climbs.
If I needed lower gearing, then I would go to a 30 in the back. A mid-cage derailleur would handle this. Shimano used to offer their XTR and XT mountain derailleurs in mid-cage; the 9-speed versions of these would be compatible with Shimano STI shifters.