Originally Posted by
John Valuk
I'm quoting this because my comment is agreeing strongly with the sentiment that the number of speeds (in the cassette) is secondary in importance to the overall gear range.
If a would-be new rider is considering candidate bikes going back far enough in time, it's useful for them to be aware that not all n-speed drivetrains are comparable. A bike with a more recent, fairly-wide-range 9-speed cassette and a compact double crankset is going to be a very different animal than, say, an early 2000s Ultegra setup that has a cassette with a maximum of 27 (or 25, or 23, or 21) teeth and a 53/39 double crankset.
Like my bikes! I love the 53x11 riding on the flat, so I always tell people that I'm probably the worst person they could come to for advice on how gearing is going to feel for them.
San Francisco really needs a big granny gear if you have to ride those big urban hills. Nothing else quite like trying to accelerate from a stop mid-hill on a crazy grade in traffic. There's plenty of good flat rides there as well if you want to avoid the hills. I lived in the Haight, which is where the flatland starts.