Originally Posted by vosyer
(snip) because this is for a 26 inch bike wheel bike doesn't it actual have a lower end than the same chain ring combination on a 700c bike. (snip)
Using the same size chain ring and the same size rear sprocket, the gearing with a 26" rear wheel is (approximately; the exact factor depends on the exact tire sizes) 650/700 = 0.93 times the gearing with a 700c rear wheel (i.e., it's about 7 per cent lower). While this difference is big enough to be discernible, it is not really large enough to make your roadbike crankset appropriate for loaded touring.
The (only?) good thing about the emergence of mountain bikes was that they made sensible gearing easily available for loaded touring bikes.
