Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,160
Likes: 6,382
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
If I remember right, Sheldon stated his preference but said that it really doesn't matter much, either way. And I agree with that.
4x is every bit as good as 3x. You can choose between them based on availability of the length to make it work. I happen to think 4x looks cooler, but that's just one person's opinion.