Originally Posted by
Rowan
All you have to do is whack a 24T chainring on the crankset, and with that combination you should be right. If you already ride most of your miles/km in the middle chainring and are comfortable with it, then the small chainring is all you have to worry about. By the way, you don't say how much load you are carrying, which also might influence your decision.
Roscoe, these are very good points.
Here is my take on overall riding (mostly unloaded, some loaded--but as mentioned, how much weight you expect to carry is a factor)
---a 36 mid ring is a good compromise size that will be used most of the time anyway, unloaded or with any sort of panniers. When I ride my two bikes with 32t mid rings unloaded, it is a bit low at times so get up to the 44t ring past a certain speed, high 20s kph lets say. That said, at those speeds we are at for the vast majority of the time, 15-25kph, its fine, but as Rowan suggested, if you find the 36t to be fine for lots of your riding, even with panniers on, then you will want to keep it.
re finding inexpensive smaller granny gears, I have found over the years of finding them in Montreal bike shops for my bikes or friends bikes, that a good bike store will generally have a cardboard box of small rings, but one 22/24t ring will cost 50 bucks, and another will cost 20. I've always gone for the cheaper ones and they have lasted fine (often the really expensive ones are top racing ones, so lighter, no point in my opinion, and a "heavier" steel one will last longer anyway, and who cares really about 30g or whatever)
Your stock setup has 21.8 gear inches with 35mm tires
with a 24/34 it will be 19.2, and will feel like one gear shift lower essentially
with a 22/34 it will be 17.6, and will feel like two gear shifts lower.
as others have said, for you to really know, put stuff on your bike like you expect to have, and go out with your bike as is and find some hills and see how it is.
Everyone has an opinion on gearing, and unfortunately a lot of boasting, or "poo-pooing" of lower gears will get said, but as someone 15 years younger than you, I am very happy with about a 17 g.i low on one of my bikes, and so are my knees.
So what if I dont use it that often, who cares. My knees do care when I can use it.
I've toured in mountains with 21 g.i and it was ok
I've toured in mountains with 19 and it was ok, a bit easier
but then recently with more weight on a bike (50lbs) and in mountains, the 17 g.i was great, and the 44/32/22 combo works wonderfully loaded, where I was nearly all the time in the mid 32 on the flats, and 22 for climbs, and only in the 44 for downhills or tailwinds.
No matter what folks say, when touring, it is pretty rare to be able to go along at more than 25kph for any period of time.