Hootowl

I would like to respond to your IGH preference. I have 2 21 speed bikes, 1 24 speed bike, 2 3 speed bikes and one newer and favorite bike with a Shimano Nexus 8 speed IGH and love it. It is a 2016 Schwinn Brighton 1 city bike. Has upright riding so you can look around and enjoy the ride.

Anyway I got it because I liked the simplicity of my three speeds but not enough range even after I geared them down, replaced 19 tooth sprockets with 22 on one and a 23 tooth on the other. Both have 46 tooth chainring.

So I looked around and luck out because a LBS 30 miles away had a left over one. Got it for almost half price. So the range is almost as good as the 21 speed mage range bikes I have. I use 2-6 the most sometimes 7th have not used 8th yet. 1st gear got up a few short steep hills. Did I mention that I am 305 pounds and 62 years old.
Also the chainring is 38 and the sprocket is 19 tooth. So it is gear a little on the low side but that was exactly what I wanted. So 8 speed is nice range and Simple shifting on the move on at a stop. Also this 8 speed was designed for a 38/19 or a 46/19 combo. So the SA 8 speed I would think would be similar, Good Luck.

Rollfast

All of my bikes are single speed. I get bikes with TANKS.

Digger Goreman

I walked (rode) into mine, backwards, when I flipped the Frankentrek and "wobbled" the rear wheel. This was Dec. 2014, and I was still at least 225 lbs. So I replaced the Bontrager rims with used Sunrims Rhyno Lites.... 3f/7r speeds, which I occasionally spun on downhills, became 9 speeds with the included cassette. Almost never used the 9th gear, with the original front setup. Fast forward to this summer, and a new, smaller, crank. Now I regularly hit 3/8, 3/9 on any decent downhill, but never spin.

All that to say, "it just depends on your setup and terrain." For me, commuting and riding in east Atlanta/Clarkston/Tucker, 3/9 is perfect. No desire to go higher....

Currently I am 58, and just shy of 200 lbs.

WGD

My touring bike is set up with 48-38-24 on front and a 14-34 5-speed freewheel. This works pretty well for me. during normal (unloaded) riding, I almost always use the middle chainring and adjust gearing at the back. I don't think of this setup as a fifteen speed. For me, each chainring represents a separate range. I do use the inner and outer rings for climbing or downhill/tailwind situations, respectively. But I don't feel like I'm missing any of the "in-between" ratios. I may switch to a six- or seven-speed cluster at some point but I don't feel a burning need.

This brings up another point that seems to be often overlooked. Since my interest is in touring, I am concerned with the trade-off between number of sprockets and wheel strength. The wider cassette/freewheel does come with penalties. This has been partially mitigated by wider spacing of rear dropouts, but it's also led to more severe dishing on the gear side of the rear wheel. This has sometimes meant broken spokes for me, and in the most difficult place to repair on the road. My current bike has a 40-spoke rear wheel, but these seem to be as rare as hen's teeth these days. Also, it was originally manufactured with 126mm rear dropout spacing (rather than the then-standard 120mm) to allow for less dish. Broken spokes are not really an issue with this setup.

I guess it's a matter of priorities.

Brando_T.

The area around my cottage is so flat that I joke I only need 3 gears: headwind, tailwind and crosswind.

I posted a Strava ride of 35km with a 13m elevation gain. My cousin from Vancouver questioned if the data was right. 13m might be the elevation change to the end of her street.

dagray

When I ride around home (very flat) I use my road bike which had a 10 speed rear cassette and a double chain ring in the front (105 groupset), but I upgraded to an Ultegra groupset with 11 speed cassette on this bike. This setup works well around here in the Oregon desert, but on the coast it doesn't work well as it isn't geared for climbing.

Lately I have been riding my mountain bike with its triple chain ring in front and seven speed cassette in the rear and really liking it as when I have a small hill to climb I have a gear that makes it very easy to pedal (even if I am going slow).

If I convert my 35+ year old Centurion Le Mans 12 speed to 700r wheels I may also convert to an Ultegra 11 speed groupset in the rear and a triple chain ring in the front for touring (I am thinking 53/39/? for the front chainring.

noglider 

Of course, it depends on the rider and terrain and so many other things. Sometimes on the same course on the same bike, I'll use two or three gears on one day and many more on another day.

I really do like it when the gears are close together so I can make small adjustments to my cadence or effort, but that's more of a luxury than a necessity.

I just rebuilt our tandem from a 3x7 drivetrain to a 3x11 drivetrain. It still doesn't have enough gears! The bike is heavy, and my wife isn't very strong, so I'm doing most of the work. The bottom gear is now lower than it was, and the top gear is higher than it was. We could still use a lower gear for climbing, and we could still use a higher gear for descending. The spaces between the gears have gotten pleasant, though; before they were too far apart.

bwilli88 

I have multiple gearing setups, single speed, 2 speed, 5 speed igh, 1x7, 2x9, 3x9, 2x10, 3x10, and setting up a 3 speed igh.
The single speed is a bomber, just is taken everywhere.
The 2 speed is a klunker with a SRAM automatix. just a fun bike to go anywhere.
The 5 speed is a opa-fiets great market and cruising bike.
The 1x7 is 48 chainring with a 13-28 7 speed freewheel. Flatbar big city traffic bike.
The 2x9 is a fast lightweight road bike(Zunow), 1/2 step, no granny, 18 usable non-overlapped gears, lots of shifting front and rear, 48x45 with 12-36 cassette.
3x9 is my MTB 52x39x28 chainrings 12-26 9 speed cassette. Pick a gear any gear that gets you up or down the terrain.
The 2x10 is my flat bar go fast bike, 46x34 with 11-36 10 speed. I consider this to be 2 separate 10 speed gear ranges. 46 for normal riding and the 34 for hilly conditions.
the 3x10 is a half step + granny. 49x46x30 with 11-36 10 speed cassette. 20 non-overlapped gears with a granny escape range.

That was just my bikes in Cambodia.


In the states I have a single speed, a dingle speed, a couple of 2x7 setups (52x42 w/13-28 and 53x42 w/13-28), 2x10(49x45 w/11-34)

Sometimes so confusing i want to sell them all

xroadcharlie

Where I ride, Which is mostly flat I could leave my 21 speed comfort bike on the 48 x 18 sprockets (69 gear inches) and probably get by for 80% of my ride with a little practice reasonably well. But there would definitely be a loss of efficiency. When I'm riding for pleasure, Which I do much of the time speed & efficiency aren't priorities, and 1 speed might be OK.

If I choose to use only the front derailleur...Effectively making my bike a 3 speed and left the cassette on the 16T cog for 45, 62, and 78 gear inches I could probably be good for my entire ride, But some efficiency would be lost when I'm out of my optimal cadence range. I do love the much simpler bike with a coaster brake (would add a front brake), and no derailleur system.

As it stands, I frequently use only 8 of the 21 gears (3 x 7) with the 38T or 48T chainring covering 41 to 78 gear inches. 8 of those 21 gears are redundant, leaving 13 distinct gears. With the proper cassette (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28, 34T) and chainring (44T), An 8 speed/Single chainring bike might meet needs of most folks 98% of the time with a 35 - 85 gear inch range based on 700c x 32mm tires.

I think some of us get obsessed with gearing with so many options. Certainly competitive bikers and touring folks should be careful choosing gears, But I think some of us, Including myself often over think this. I'm in it mostly for the fun and adventure.

philbob57

I generally use 2 in back and 2 in front, with occasional use of a 3rd or even a 4th, depending on conditions. The specific rear cogs change as the season progresses and as I get stronger..

Rje58

3x7 or 3x8 is plenty for me... unfortunately, the new bikes I am interested in seem to be going to 3x9 or greater. Fortunately, I have a primary and a backup, and I don't need a new bike for awhile.

As for which gears I actually use - almost all of them! Except of course the ones that crosschain.

So here's what I actually use on my 3x8 Fuji:

1-2 thru 1-5 ( 1-1 is so low I rarely use it - there's one place I ever remember using it on a short, very steep hill )
2-1 thru 2-8
3-3 thru 3-8

So total gears I use on the Fuji: 18 out of 24

On my 3x7 Trek which is geared a little lower than the Fuji:

Don't use low gear (1) much - it's lower than I usually need.
2-1 thru 2-7
3-3 thru 3-7

Total gears I use on the Trek: 12 out of 21