carleton

Again, everything is relative.

Your comments about gearing (in other threads as well) are from your anecdotal POV and you seem to offer what works for you as what everyone else should do. e.g. "My flying 200M gear is x then I'll say that x is the best gear for the flying 200 to any rider who asks about gearing for the flying 200."

53x15 might be too low for you...but absolutely spot-on perfect for thousands of other racers...including OP.

Regarding spinning like crazy...there are many of great trackies that became great by spinning like crazy even in the modern era of big gears. David Epinoza is one of them as well as just about any elite/pro all-arounder (these guys can also beat up on most sprinters and simply choose not to).

The goal is to be able to spin like crazy. Seriously. The racer who can hold 150 or 160 RPM in a race would be a better racer than the one who can only hold 120 RPM.

Why? Being able to carry a higher RPM means that you can ride a lower gear. Lower gears? Whaaaaa? Isn't that bad? NOPE. It's wonderful. Lower gears allow for faster, harder jumps to gap off riders and is less taxing of the anaerobic systems than larger gears. One recovers better when sprinting or mass start racing on lower gears between races AND between sprints within a race. Basically, don't race a big gear when you don't have to because everything burns a match...even slowing down as pack speeds change.

Ever see a top junior hang with local elites in CAT1/2/A? Cuz low gear, carrying cadence, and youth.

As we age our ability to carry high cadences diminishes...and all we got left are big gears.

I'm not saying big gears are bad and small gears are great. I'm saying that both are options. Don't limit yourself to one tool when you have several in your toolbox.

BTW, if you knew what gears some Olympic-caliber Man1 TS riders are riding, you'd be surprised. It's in the 90s.