From what I have learned here and riding my Speed P8, The higher the gear inches, the faster you go if you're pedaling at the same rate, or "cadence." Around 60-70 gear inches falls around the middle in terms of gearing, so that's what most people use when they ride a single gear bike. Basically the more gears you have, the faster you can go, theoretically. But I find that I never really use the 7th or 8th gear on my 8 speed unless I'm trying to go fast going downhill. It's too strenuous for me to try to pedal at 8th gear on a flat road so it actually makes me slower. If I had the leg strength, though, I would be going FAST, assuming I was pedaling at a pretty fast rate.
Last edited by Training.Wheels; 08-01-12 at 06:04 AM.