Originally Posted by
kuroba
- Shimano 48-36-26 crankset (will replace the 26 with a 24t chainring for that ultra low gearing).
If your cassette uses an 11-13-15-18 pattern, you could also replace the 36T with a 38T to give yourself a decent 1.5-step offset in the road cruising range. If it's a 12-14-16-18 pattern, a 39T would be more appropriate. Some people don't care about that sort of stuff, but I find it to be convenient when I need it, and oftentimes it doesn't really "cost" anything in other functionality.
(If your cassette has a straight block at the small gears, never mind.) (FD compatibility is also a potential issue; the inner plate on the FD needs to be able to clear the middle ring when shifting to the big ring, which can be an issue on some triple FDs if there's too small of a difference between middle and big ring.)