Sir, thank you.
Fwiw, the reason I get these wierd ideas is because I look at places like nashbar where they sell new stuff and where a derailer is $100+
Apparently my friend has a 28 I can try for free, so I'm going to try that first, and if that doesnt give me enough spin, I'll be grabbing a cassette and derailer =)
Thanks again.
-- James