I thought there was a recent thread on this but I couldn't find it, so I'll just start over.

My new 650c bike has 54/44 chain rings and a 12/23 cassette. I miss my low gear. Would I be better off with a smaller (42 or maybe even a 39) inner chain ring or a wider ranging (maybe a 12/27) cassette? Would either of the derailleurs have trouble with these combinations? Anything else I've missed?

I'm not even sure I'm asking the right questions so any help would be appreciated.