If you like your current bike, just swap the crank for a triple, or wide double. The bike below had a 52/42 when I relocated to hill country over 20 years ago and needed lower gears. I flipped a road bike that I got in a swap and swapped cranks and rear derailleurs for the triple setup before selling it. I didn't even need to change the front derailleur or shifter. Crank is a half-step-plus granny, but worked great. Oh, and I needed a bit longer BB spindle, but the original was loose ball and it was time to upgrade to a cartridge anyway. These days I would put on a 50/34 wide double with external bearings. Oh, and yeah, it is an aluminum road bike with 3X drivetrain.