On my first tour close to forty years ago I used a 52/42 double and a 13/28 cluster and soon wished that I had a triple crank. From Mt. Shasta in N. Calif. over the coastal mountains to and down the coast home to Santa Barbara. I spent a lot of time standing up in my lowest gear straining to gain the summits at the expense of my knees. Once home I had a third chain ring bolt pattern drilled into my crank. What a difference that change made in the quality of touring. As did learning to mail excess equipment home.
Last edited by arctos; 08-25-09 at 03:50 PM.
Reason: edit