Originally Posted by
hueyhoolihan
loaded touring, for nine months, on a 1x7 with a 32t large cog and 36t chainring is doable for at least one mid 40 year old rider that i know of. and he ain't no athlete, i can assure you. he said the simplicity of a 1x7 was refreshing. YMMV.
IME, the key to getting a low gear is to get a crank that can take a single small chainring. anything in the 30's should do. it will simplify things. then the rear derailleur doesn't have to be something special to accommodate an outrageously large rear cog.
Good info, thanks for that. I was thinking a 32 chain ring with the 11-40 cassette, as the 32-13 gear would be very close to the 50-21 gear, right in the middle of the cassette, that I almost always spin in at the moment.