Well, I hope you have better luck with your LBS than I. Most in my area seem clueless in dealing with lower gearing. Or, more likely, they just want to sell a new bike as is without the shop time. I have 6 in my area and it appears only one seems to want to work with me.
You mentioned that your Burley Hudson has a 52/42/30 and a 9 speed cluster in the back, but you dont say what the large cog is in the rear. The MFR lists your bike as stock equipped with 48/36/26 chain rings and an 11-32 cassette. That combination should give you a low gear of about 21.87 gear inches. That is only three clicks up from my lowest gear on my heavier mountain bike, and should do very well for you for a lighter road bike. However, you must have purchased your bike used, or something was changed somewhere along the way. If that is the case, there is no telling what else was also changed.
Since you have a 9 speed set up you can go all the way to a 34 tooth low gear cluster in the back. As per the prior discussion I referenced, you can probably change the inner chain ring from a 30 to a 24, 26, or 28 tooth ring. Depending on what is on the bike now, you will probably need to change the rear derailleur to a long cage mountain derailleur. You will also need a new chain and want to use a chain watcher.
It is all very well laid out in the other discussion. My problem is getting an LBS that is willing to do it to a new bike.
You dont say how new your bike is but, if possible, you might do well to get the original equipment from wherever you bought it. That would solve your problem.
