Originally Posted by
jefnvk
Where im at most of the bike/rec area paths are flat, one really wouldn't need more gearing. That said, these cheap options are solely recreational bikes, where the owners are never leaving such terrain
Read the GBM thread on MTBR, people do some serious stuff with those. this may not be the best off-road bike, but it is at the point where the rider is the one holding the bike back.
Even when flat, you get stuck in sand or snow etc.