42/16's really not to bad around here. I think it's a nice trade off between spinning out and muscleing it out. That's why I like one gear bikes. They work you at both ends of the spectrum. I think this helps out even if (Heaven forbid) you're riding a geared machine and can't shift for some reason. I suppose the bottom line is everyone has to experiment a little to find out what works best for them and for what they do with the bike.