Originally Posted by
mdilthey
Surprising! I run a 34 front with a 32 rear and never wish for more, and for a while my 1x9 front ring was 38. I guess everyone's different, as is everyone's definition of "loaded."
28x32 is pretty darn low. How much lower would you go?
Touring gear has gotten a lot lighter than it was even in '97 and that makes a real difference in terms of the gearing that you need. I have lighter gear today than I did then.
I'm also older and I want to be kind to my knees. A 28 running on a 32 gives you a 23.6 inch low gear. The OP has a 110/74 bcd crank so he can run a 24 tooth inner giving him a 20.3 inch low gear. That's a significant drop.
I'm building up a bike to do a lot of touring out in the Pacific NW and that's probably what I will end up using (a steel 24 tooth inner running on a 32 in the rear).