Originally Posted by
StephenH
... The low gearing won't matter unless you know you have something terribly steep, and even then, you can walk it about as fast as ride it if it's like that.
...
Although I am not familiar with the Suffolk to Skippers course, I guarantee there ain't no climbing on that Suffolk to Skippers course. For a Texan, imagine a course from the southeast side of Houston toward Galveston and then toward South Padre Island, staying close to the ocean, and possibly add in swamps.
Now, should the OP come to Raleigh and do Alan's 400, he may well want to bring some low gearing, and might still walk -- I have walked up two different climbs on that 400; I've also ridden up those same climbs a few times; it depends on ... stuff.