Thanks for the input, it echos what my LBS recommended. And a cog is much cheaper than the chain ring. The bike will go in tonight, should get it done while I wait (they're very nice to me like that).

Also, back to [MENTION=164654]fotooutdoors[/MENTION] post, I have been riding at a much higher cadence this summer. For example with my summer commuter, I also never get in the big chain ring anymore; however, prior to this summer, I'd spend lots of time in the big chain ring. Therefore, getting back to this big gear-ratio on the winter bike feeling like a lot more work than years past when I'd ride my summer bikes in a big ratio with a lower cadence. (This makes sense in my head, but I don't know if what I wrote explains it well... )