Originally Posted by
52telecaster
i use a 26/40 crank and a 12/34 cassette and it gives me everything i need. shifting from ring to ring only happens when you really need a bailout anyway. 40/34 handles most hills and when i need the bailout i am not worried about anything but finding a really low gear.
I'm pretty similar. Running a 42/28 with an 11-36 cassette. It works really well for touring for me. If I'm pedaling faster than 20mph, I'm most likely going downhill and want to coast anyway. The 42-11 combo is enough of a high gear for me.