Originally Posted by
Bah Humbug
That sort of gearing is popular on the gravel bikes, 1x, and for very unfit people. Remember there are people who will casually ride around the neighborhood once a week for an hour, possibly with their kids on kiddie bikes. Not everyone is a "casual" roadie who trains to any degree.
And then there's touring.
Part of the issue is simply watt/kg. Lots of people are reasonably fit in the aerobic sense of the word but may be 20-30 lbs over weight. Combined with a steep 8-9-10% hill they quickly run out of low gears, if they are on 34/28 or 34/25, unless they can dish out some real power.
For reference it takes ~260w to maintain 60 rpm on 9% incline in the 34/28 combination, if you are 200lbs. If instead you have 34/34 it only takes ~210w to maintain 60 rpm under the same circumstances.