Hi everyone,
Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. I am quite adept at slow speed riding.I come from an mtb background which provided awareness of slow speed rock crawling up steep grades offroad
So no worries going at speeds my cycle computer cannot pickup. One thing I need to consider is my handlebar setup. I notice my road drops are much harder to handle at slow speeds than my riser MTB bars due to the width. Anyone touring on these newer alt bars and like the improved uphill handling? How about downhill? I usually climb in the hoods and descend in the drops.
More details about my setup: I'm using an Shimano FC-M430, 175 mm crank arms, with 48/36/22 chainrings. My rear cassette is a 13-34 8 speed job I constructed from a 13t lockring, 11-30 SRAM 8 speed cassette, and a 34t shimano megarange cog I stole from another cassette. 13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34. The jump from 26 to 30 is not that great, and from 30 to 34 it honestly feels very small when I want that extra oomph for getting up hill.
I have seen these 40 and 42T from One-Up and other manufacturers, but they are all specify 10 speed usage only. I know the cogs are slimmer on a 10 speed Shimano unit from 8/9.
The noted fleabay manufacturer 'mtbtools' has some larger cog as well which are built for 8/9 speed, but I am highly skeptical. I hear many reports of those rings bending under load, and I have plenty of that. Nor I am keen on the concept of it throwing a chain into my pricey rear wheel. I also hear that the manufacturer doesn't stand by the product at all. Disappointing.
I looked at the 39t from ActionTec but boy is pricey and knowing I could get 3 more teeth... leaves me wanting more. Interestingly the 20t chainring seems to be priced about the same (heat treated titanium version).
Fietsbob, I am interested in that Mtn tamer quad. I assume this is the older model no longer sold with the longer spline that can accommodate 2 cogs? Or am I mistaken.
Sounds like I need to talk with my therapist about the potential benefit of shorter crank arms. I was actually looking at getting 180 or 185 mm cranks in the hopes that would help.
All in all, great discussion everyone. Thank you for sharing your experiences in this area.