All of us loaded touring bikers (including me) need to remember the old saying "Different strokes for different folks." Instead of saying that a "52/42/30 is a dumb crank choice for a touring bike", why don't we say "you need to be careful with gearing that high, but if you're strong enough, it should be fine". You may be right that no one "needs" 127 gear inches on a tour but I'm not about to give mine up. I love to go fast and I don't want to be done pedaling at 30-35 mph on a nice steady downhill. I understand that others don't care to do that, but it's part of the enjoyment for me. I am currently looking for a "touring" bike, but my modified 1999 LeMond Zurich has worked pretty well for my past tours. Granted, I haven't done any cross-country trips, but I've done two 6-day loaded (camping) tours with some pretty big climbs in them. I've really enjoyed them so that's why I want to get a touring specific bike. I'm a pretty big guy at 210 pounds and I've loaded up my bike and survived pretty well with my double chainring (53/39) combined with an XT rear derailer with an 11-34 cassette. The ideal touring gearing for "me" is a 52/42/30 with an 11-34 cassette and then I can have both ends covered, 23-125 gear inches. Everyone needs to know their limits and make sure your bike is set up appropriately. As for Librarian, it sounds like he doesn't care about the high end gearing so your advice is good, but don't make it sound like no one should have big gearing for touring.