Thanks again - I have checked Sheldon's site (he is a God), but the truth is, I have no tolerance for slop in my drivetrain. I also forgot to mention that the reason behind gearing down is that my MTB is a road-worthy vehicle - pretty much an extremely durable road bike, moreso than a cyclocross bike, and I simply don't need a 34T ring. Hoping to get down to 12-28. I'll look around to see what I can get as far as 7 speed shifting/hubs, but didn't want to have to replace too much. Thanks for your help :-)