Originally Posted by
70sSanO
You have been touring with a triple crank. How do you like it? How much time do you spend in the middle ring?
If a 46t will fit for the majority of your riding that is fine, but if you really want that tweener chainring, you’ll need to figure out what will work for slogging thousands of miles.
You might also want to post this on the touring sub-forum and get their feedback. Having some real life experience by someone who has toured on a Checkpoint might give better insight.
The shop may also be able to track down a 60cm 520 through their systems.
John
My local Trek shop said since the 520 was discontinued awhile back, Trek has no more frames and the shop was not able to locate a 520 with a size 60 frame anywhere else. On my Transamerica ride I spent most of my time in the middle chain ring but certainly used the smallest chainring (granny gear) a lot. There were climbs where if I did not have the smallest chainring I would have needed to get off my bike and push it. For example, one climb in Idaho was an 8.7% grade for 3.5 miles. I will place a post in the touring forum