Touring Drivetrain Dilemna I own a 2015 Specialized AWOL Elite and love it except when I am fully loaded and lumbering up a pass.

I'm looking for a way to get more range without completely replacing my drivetrain. This Adventure Cycling article perfectly describes my situation: THE DRIVETRAIN DILEMMA.

Currently I have 


the stock FSA Omega 30/39/50 MegaExo crankset paired with 
9-speed triple Sora 11-32 front/rear derailleurs and shifters.


I'm confused about STI vs MTB indexing on Shimano 9 and 10 speed shifters. I am considering swapping out the crankset and rear derailleur with a


FSA Afterburner 26/36/48 crankset and 
9-speed Deore rear derailleur with an 11-36 cassette


My question is will these new components work with the original Sora front derailleur and shifters?
The replacement of the 9 speed Shimano road RD with a 9 speed Shimano mountain RD is fine -- the cable pulls are the same. You'll need to re-size (i.e. put on a longer) chain for the bigger cassette though.

As for the crankset swap, I think with the new cassette it isn't going to be necessary. In any case, the Sora FD-3403 (which is what you likely have) has a maximum front chainring difference of 20 teeth whereas you're asking for a difference of 22 teeth, so you're technically out of spec. Since its 2 teeth, you might be able to get by, but you'd have to try it and tune it to see if it works. You do need a Shimano road FD to work with the Sora shifters.