Personally, 3 is fine for me. I used to ride a single speed, but it got tiring on hills and over bridges. I converted the bike to a 3 speed, and all's well. I suppose if I had a 5 speed I might shift a little more, but the fact is that even with a 3 speed I mostly only use 2nd and 1st. I have been thinking of gearing it a bit lower to make more use of the top gear.