First, I have a Bianchi Eros and Volpe.
Have been fine for me so far. I did wonder about improvements to the Volpe since I will use it for MS150 rides and the like. Nothing more. I realize it is not an expensive bike and that improvements may not be worthwhile as most have told me its a good work bike for my needs.

But when reading posts here on the Trek 520 there is mention of changing the crankset because its 30/42/52. My Volpe is the same. I read that the 22/32/44 would give lower gears.

Being new I searched here to get a better understanding of this difference, of what it would give someone and again of whether its worth my considering it for my Volpe?

Maybe its best that I wait a season or two and think of a better tour bike and improve on it.

I also was hoping someone might know of a good book or source for a newbie so he isnt posting questions here everytime he doesnt understand something and can't find it in a search. I don't want to be a pain in the butt.

Thank you for any help and direction.

Most folks who go to lower gears on a Trek 520 are carrying loaded panniers. I would think your gears would be fine for non-loaded riding. You will see many riders on MS150 type tours riding bikes with double chainrings; some will envy your small ring, some will look at it with disdain. A 22 ring will give a lower gear than the 30, but you also end up with a high gear that is not as high. I'd say ride what you have until you are certain you have a reason to change it.

You can find a great deal of biking info on the net apart from asking questions on borads or buying a book. For general touring info check out Ken Kifer's site. For mecahnical things look at Sheldon Brown's site. I don't have URLs handy, but do a search for their names and you'll strike paydirt.

But few people mind answering newbie questions. We have all been there, it is just that for some of us it was so long ago we have forgotten. Ask away!

I changed my crankset on my roadbike from a 48/38/28 to a 42/32/22 . I had to change the bottombracket for it to fit. Your front derailleur may or may not work.Mine worked fine. Kind of trial and error. If you have to pay someone labor it may run some cash. I bought a Nashbar Big Tool Kit and with a Bicycling Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair, had a great time swapping parts. I added a 13-32 cassette and mountainbike rear derailleur. Love it!

Yours gears are standard for unladen and supported touring and for long day rides, even in mountainous regions.
You only need MTB style low gears if you are hauling luggage up steep hills. I recently did that change, from a Campagnolo Mirage triple to a Shimano LX chainset. The Campy front mech and changers still work, but its not a change you need to do at the moment.

Unless you are a really fast rider, you will benefit from lowering the gears to 44-32-22. As the bike probably comes with an 11-30 or 11-32 cassette, you will still have a high of 108 gear-inches... more than racers had 20 years ago, and high enough to pedal at 45 km/h. But that proposal is good if you can have the bike shop swap parts for free or at a nominal cost. If you have to buy those parts at retail price, it makes no sense, especially for the type of riding you expect to do.

A cheaper option would be to simply replace the small chainring by a yet smaller one. Having ratios like 52-42-24 (or 26 -- take the smallest that fits) would give you lower gears.

Finally, when your cassette is due for replacement, I would suggest you visit https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html and look at the Cyclotouriste 13 and 14. These would give you the same low gears, but closer ratios at the top, for a more comfortable ride.

Regards,