Originally Posted by
BobbyG
When a single rear cassette can cover the range needed, we will see a return to multiple chain rings upfront, not to ectend range, but to fill in the ratio gaps, by halfs and thirds as was done after the development of conventional rear deraillers in the past.
I'd actually like more options for bigger gaps. I like what SRAM is doing with 7-speed for downhill bikes. And doesn't someone have a wide-range seven-speed for eBikes?
Most of my shifts when riding our local mountain-bike system are by two or three cogs each time. So on that particular system I could get by easily enough with maybe just four or five gears at most. OTOH, on gravel roads when there is more time between gear changes it is nice to be able to fine tune to match my cadence.