and in my mixed flats-n-hills, I went from a 11-34 8 speed to a 13-26 8 speed to gain closer spaced gears. my front is a 48-38-28, so that gives me PLENTY of gear range.

warning on switching from 7/8 to 9 speeds... 9-speed needs a different shifter, this can get expensive if your bike has integrated brake+shifters controls. I am a little picky and wouldn't want different design controls on the left and right, so I'd end up having to swap BOTH, meh.