Originally Posted by
LateSleeper
If you feel 28/30 is too tall for what you want to ride, then buying a bike with a 34/28 low gear would be a big mistake. There's nothing you can do about that 34 tooth chainring because a compact crank won't take a smaller one. You'd have to replace the whole crank, and there aren't a lot of choices that will allow you to keep your brifters. I was in the same situation, and ended up buying a rare and very expensive Sugino 0X801D crankset to solve the problem. I ordered the crank as a 44-30, and now have a 30/32 low end, which is roughly equivalent to what you have today. I think the same crankset can be ordered as a 26-40, which would probably make you happy. But who wants to spend an extra $300-400 to make a brand new bike usable?
Of course I would not want to replace the crankset for cost reasons, the only thing I would consider is changing the casette to have more low gears. That's why I am looking for a bike which would fit my needs plus that extra gear requirement, if possible. If that doesn't work, I will think of modifications after first season.
I am waiting for some more info and availablitiy from a used bike seller, so far I don't know much except that there will be some Wilier and Colnago, I checked specs of those from past years and I don't think they will have the gears I'm after but who knows, I need to wait for now.