Originally Posted by
AllWeatherJeff
I've grown very fond of the the 3-chainring options more common on touring bikes I've seen.
As small as 26-36 on my Marin Muirwoods and 22-34 on my mtn bike.
There are plenty of threads on the double vs. triple debate, and I am squarely in the triple camp so I would recommend sticking with a triple if you like low gears and don't mind having three chainrings. I have bikes with both and always prefer to ride a triple unless the ride is so flat that I won't need low gears. If I only had one bike for randonneuring, it would have three chainrings.