Originally Posted by
joejack951
Hardly. How can anyone use a 22-32 on a MTB then? I've done just that climbing steep hills on the road (in the snow) and that was definitely faster than walking.
To the OP, if you know you need easier gearing try to find a road bike with a triple (plenty still out there) and the same cassette (32T large cog). You can swap the 30T small ring on the triple for a 28, 26, or even 24T chainring to get all the help you need. Yes, climbing is easier on a road bike than a MTB but you are still fighting gravity and most of that fight is against your own body weight. Walking sucks and long distance riding is fun. When you are spent at the end of a long ride, you'll be happy you have a few extra low gears, even if you rarely ever need them.
Easy. MTB is designed for off road, not on road. Grades and surface irregularities make the extreme lows of mtb bikes necessary. I don't ride in the snow and suggest others refrain from riding in the snow on roads used by passenger cars.