Originally Posted by rcd
I have a 2001 Cannondale T800 touring bike with a 9-speed rear sprocket (11-34) and a Cannondale Performance chainring (30/42/52). Now that I have hit my 60s and have more time to tour but legs that aren't what they used to be, I'm thinking about getting a smaller combination on the chainring. I barely use the largest ring, and on many long climbs with a load, I often wish I had some lower gears to drop down to. I just replaced my chain and sprocket this spring (simple wear). Is it possible to have a smaller chainring combo installed without changing everything else on the drive train? Thanks rcd
I'd go with a 110/74 crankset, they're ususally favored for touring bikes. And there are some nice ones that aren't terribly expensive, something like the XD 300 or XD 600 by Sugino. They come stock with true touring gearing. You will likely need to change the bottom bracket, though, the Sugino XD's use a sqare taper with either a 113mm or 118mm spindle. Here's a link to Sheldon's site:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/cranks/11074.html
Personally, I've had excellent luck with Nashbar's Touring/Trekking crankset, also 110/74 BCD.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...0Road%20Cranks
I've switched the chainrings out to 46/36/24 on mine, from the stock 48/38/28. They've got these cranks on sale right now, too, and the Nashbar branded ISIS bottom bracket that fits them is around $23. Durability with ISIS bb's is a hit-and-miss kind of thing, but so far I've had excellent luck with the inexpensive Nashbar ISIS bb. FWIW, I'm running an 11 x 32 nine speed cassette, with nine speed bar end shifters. I use a Shimano XT rear derailleur on the bike, and a Shimano 105 on the front.
As Al1943 said, you'd need to lower the front derailleur on the seat tube to accomodate the smaller big ring. Your front derailleur will probably not be shaped just right for the smaller sized big ring, but it shouldn't make any noticeable difference. I used a dremel tool to reshape my 105 front derailleur, so that it better matches the shape of the 46t big ring I'm using-