Originally Posted by
tomtomtom123
14 gear inches is low, but not that low.
When I did a tour in the past, that bike had I think 18-96 gear inches. 18 gear inches was usually sufficient except on really steep inclines where I would just walk and push.
26 gear inches isn't that low. to me. I would go lower.
14 gear inches seems super low. I've read about guys doing world tours fully loaded that use a minimum of around 18 gear inches, so 14 is... wow.
How much weight do you carry when you ride? I think that's the critical thing here.
Low to mid 20s is quite ok if you only carry minimal gear, but I can understand wanting a lower gear if you carry more.