bikemig 

It's not hard to install wider ranging gearing on vintage bikes. Finding old school road bikes that take wide tires isn't hard either. I'm not saying you should go out and find an old bike to rehab. There's a lot to be said for modern bikes. I just think what we're talking about on this thread (wide ranging gearing and wider tires) has been around for a long time. I'm running 48/34 rings and a 12-30 7 speed freewheel and 700 x 28c tires on a 1978 Trek TX 900; 50/36 rings and a 14-28 freewheel and 700 x 28c tires on a 1982 Peugeot PX 10, and 48/38/28 rings and a 13-28 7 speed freewheel and 700 x 32 tires on a 70s Fuji Finest.