I'm considering buying a used marinoni ciclo and it has these
gear ratios....(sport touring model)....should I do anything with
these to make them more randonneuring friendly for touring
(credit card touring)?

Joe
Vancouver BC

That would depend on your legs. I'm an older rider; but I, nevertheless, set up my bike with that gear ratio. It can be tough climbing some of the Vermont hills I find myself riding. However, it disciplines me to ride harder (and faster) as I can't fall back on an easy gear. But I use a different bike with a triple at the beginning of the season until I get my legs in shape. If you have any knee problems, you will be better off with a wider gear ratio.

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Just remember Speedo, he don't ever take it slow

It depends on how strong a climber you are..

How hilly are the touring routes you'd end up riding on? The gears you have right now are more of a race/competition setup than touring.

There are a couple of options that would give you lower gearing (in approximate order of increasing cost):

* swap the cassette for something like a 12-25 or 12-27 (Campy groups go up to 28 I think)

* change the cassette for a mountain bike 11-32 or 11-34 one, and the rear derailleur to a MTB unit

* swap the crank for one that takes chainrings with a smaller 110mm BCD (bolt circle diameter), then you can run smaller front chainrings.

* switch the drivetrain to a triple ring setup.

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Peter
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Scalpel Cyclocross Ultra