Originally Posted by
sareybelle
So, any advice on the 5/7 issue? I ride the Capital Bikeshares beasts frequently and NEVER use the 1st gear, it's like clown college. I do fine with 2nd/3rd, so would 5 be plenty?
IMHO,better to have it and not need it,than need it and not have it,so I'd get the 7spd. I live across the street from the National Cathedral,so crank up Wisc and Mass Ave all the time. I ditched a 3spd,7spd,and a couple 8spds because I like being 44 without knee probs(also why I've never ridden fixed). Note;changing the gearing on an IGH is as simple as swapping the cog. If the gearing's too low or high you can always shift it up/down.
This is Sheldon's excellent gear calculator:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/
Plug in the numbers for your current bike,then plug in the numbers for the bikes you're considering. This will help you figure out what you need.