Originally Posted by
chucky
Not according to scientific inquiry.
I'd like to see the scientific inquiry showing that derailleur systems are less efficient if you can point me in that direction. Like I said before, everything I've seen to this point says the opposite. I'm looking for something that talks about more than just the pros and cons of various cog sizes.
Or maybe by that point I'll be standing on the pedals (already instantaneously shifted into the correct high gear) and half way to the next stop. Smoothly transitioning between little steps may be an advantage on the open road, but in traffic it's far more important to be able to quickly transition directly between highest and lowest gears (often in the midst of unforeseen stops which cannot be anticipated).
My commute is 75% flat, especially the part that's in traffic. I spend the majority of time in the middle range of my gears. I can usually start pretty easily in any gear I happen to be in even if it's not the ideal one. Not always, but most of the time. Being able to quickly transition from lowest to the highest gear has almost no value since I would rarely choose either one for any part of my commute.