I used a Deore ATB crank set 22/32/44 on my previous road bike. My wife has an LX on her's now. I considered and XTR for my new bike, but decided on a TA Zephyr with a Phil wood spindle/bearings instead for about the same money (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/zephyr.asp ). The Zephyr has three bolt circles ( 110, 74 and 56 mm) so you can have a range of rings as low as 20 to something larger than 48. I'm using 22/36/46. The Q-factor is low, it's light and you can tailor the rings to almost anything you could want. I think he has some left with 180 mm cranks.

For the front derailleur, I'm using an old 105 triple (Ultegra on order) and for the rear it's an XT long-cage. The cassette is an Ultegra 12/27. I can use an XT 12/34 cassette by adding a few links of chain. That exceeds the capacity of the XT long-cage, but it doesn't matter. I don't use the small ring with the smallest two or three cogs anyhow: these ratios are (almost) duplicated with other combinations and I don't like the angles. If I inadvertently shift there, the worst that happens is that the chain rubs against itself as it passes in opposite directions (the cage is horizontal because of too much chain). You get a little noise, but nothing really bad happens.

The 12 to 34 is my N Georgia mountains cassette. Cassette's are quick to change as is adding links with those clip-on master links. I like to spin on the long climbs. I cruise at a 95 cadence typically.

The TA rings do not have the ramps and pins of the Shimano stuff because their emphasis is on offering a wide selection of rings rather than a standard "matched to shift quickly" set. I notice no difference on the road. That's possibly because I don't shift under load like I do on my mountain bike.

By the way, if you go to the Shimano site, you'll see that I exceed the capacity of the 105/ultegra front derailleur with my ring combination. However, it shifts very well; not as well as my XTR with my mountain bike crankset, but close.

My shifters are STI. If you go to the site above, you might brows what Peter White has to say about cranks and rings. Note his statement (if it's still there) that STI won't work with ATB derailleurs is incorrect. I've mentioned that to him.

If you have a large jump between the middle ring and the inner ring like I do, you should consider one of those "chain-stoppers" that clamp to the seat tube and keeps all that bouncing chain from overshooting the small ring. Though I never had the chain overshoot in several hundred miles, I added one anyhow.

Al