On an older sport tourer, I have a triple front of 52-42-32 and a 7 speed rear HG50 thats 14-32.

It has more than served me well, even with a 1-1 ratio as the bailout and a gear inch of 27.3 at the smallest. I use the bike for what is either flat or gently rolling land and haven't come close to walking when loaded.

But, would a 13-34 cassette be significantly better?
It would give a gear inch of 25.7 at the smallest.


So 2 questions-
- is a 1.5 inch change at the low really felt?
- my current is 21-24-28-32 and the other would be 20-24-29-34. Does the 34t cassette with a couple of 5 tooth jumps shift worse because of the wide range between jumps?



I am feeling winter bad since I am actually pondering this so much and debating on making a change for what may be just because I want to change something.