Originally Posted by
Jonathandavid
Since the bike already has "1:1" gearing, putting on a lighter gear is not absolutely essential, but a good idea nonetheless. However, you might also consider changing the cassette to someting like 12-34, rather than replacing a front chainring. This tends to be cheaper. In addition, I find riding a larger gear at the front to be somewhat more comfortable and have heard the same from other cyclists.
Changing the cassette is probably more expensive than changing a single chain ring (Here's
the 22T chainring I bought for $9 shipped), particularly since you are more likely to have to change the rear derailleur as well.
The other advantage of just changing the small chain ring is that you don't make the steps wider between gears. Some people don't mind large spacing; I wish my spacing were smaller.
Originally Posted by
Telly
For my daily commute, I find the bike's gearing to be extremely low, and tend to use the middle+ range of the 34 and the 44 almost all of the time. To be honest, I very rarely use the small chainring, and only when it's a steep hill (which i avoid like the plague of course!)
When touring, you're much more likely to end up somewhere where you can't avoid the hill
and you'll likely be carrying extra gear. That being said, just get out there with the gearing you've got and see what you think. If you don't need to go lower, then don't do it.
If you want higher gearing, we can do that for you too
You could swap the 44T for a 48T (as I said before, I run a 48/38/22 crankset).
Cheers,
Charles
p.s. Hills suck. A lot. Go climb them. It's good for you.
"Don't buy upgrades. Go up grades." - Eddy Merckx.