Imagine the tallest, longest hill in your town. Given the choice of two gearing options, which would you choose? If your bike didn't have a wide enough range for a desired cadence and energy output on both sides of the spectrum (like an IGH, for example), think about what you would compromise.

When I look at the gearing of production bikes and my own needs, I find that almost every bike out there comes with more than I need on the top, but not enough on the bottom. Are bicycle companies making this choice for consumers? I'm curious to know what fellow consumers prefer.