Re: Half Step and Granny - which front derailleur?

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In article <48302283$0$879$ba4acef3@news.orange.fr>,
"James Thomson" <yosnappyj@hotmail.com> wrote:

> For reasons I won't bore you with, I'd like to try a half-step and granny
> gearing system. I'm willing to entertain suggestions that it's ill-advised,
> but I'd like to try it for myself all the same, and I have most of the parts
> I need to get started.
>
> Likely gearing will be 45-42-granny at the front, and either
> 11-12-14-16-18-21-24-28 or 12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32 (eight of nine) at the
> rear.
>
> Questions:
>
> What front derailleur would you choose, and why?
>
> Given the above, what size granny would you shoot for?
>
> Shifters will be either older Campag Ergos, Shimano barcons, or downtube
> levers, so front indexing isn't an issue.

What is the lowest gear you want?
What wheel size do you run?
Is this fully loaded touring or heavy off-road going?
If not a 30 granny will be sufficient.

--
Michael Press