Too many gears for trail riding?
My full suspension trail bike has 24 speeds (3x8). Is a 24 (or 27) speed drivetrain really needed on a mountain bike? The only times I find myself going very fast are on downhills, and I'm not pedaling much (if at all) when I'm hitting these higher speeds. I know there is a single-speed movement, and I'm not about to remove all the gears from my bike, but I am tempted to remove the largest gear from the front. I spend the majority of my time on the 2nd front gear, and this would give me additional ground clearance for going over logs (I've already broken off my stock plastic bash guard). What do you think - is going from 24 to 16 gears a crazy idea, or will I not notice a difference?