Ok, I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes I just can't help it. Since switching from a triple chainring hybrid to a double ring 'cross bike, I'm finding that I want more gears. I had been considering a compact chainring, but did a little research and realized that a compact might not give me anything easier than my TriCross's 48x34.

So, the next option would be a new cassette. The TriCross comes with 8 gears, 12-25 (bike specs). I find that I need one or two easier gears for hills, and I really need some more "in-between" gears to keep me from going too high in the small ring and too low in the big ring.

Or is cross-chaining ok on this bike? The tech where I bought it said that it probably would be ok. The tech at another shop said that it definitely would not be ok. And today, when I was in the big ring and the granny gear of the cassette, the chain dropped when I rotated the crank backwards to line up the pedal for clipping in at a stop.

I'm hoping some of the more technically advanced ladies here can give me some recommendations. Word of warning, though: I may sound like I know what I'm talking about, but gearing is a muddy area for me. I know intuitively how to shift into the right gear as I ride, but the mathematics of gearing go right over my head. Be prepared for me to respond to any responses with more questions.