The cassette with the 29 fits Campagnolo, which the Lemond has. The McLean has Shimano. If I do take the McLean, the gears will be low enough. I have experience climbing tough hills with insufficiently low gears. A couple of summers ago, my rear derailleur failed in the middle of a century ride. I jury rigged it to stay in a middle cog, and my front derailleur turn my bike into a 3-speed. Climbing the biggest hills was hard, but I managed.