Originally Posted by
kevsf
I've been looking around at getting my first road bike. It seems like 8 speed bikes are cheaper, older, and less desired. Why is that? And how many speeds should I be getting?
Just guessing from your name--do you live in San Francisco? If so, you need a big gear range, number of speeds is far secondary to that. I used to ride there in my youth, great flat and hill riding.