You can use a gear range calculator Mike Sherman's Bicycle Gear Calculator to see exactly how the gearing on your current bike compares to the new one. If you plug in the values for wheel size, chainrings, and gears on the cassette you will be able to see things like the upper and lower end for the gearing. If you live in hilly area it's the low end that is most important. I much prefer having enough gears so that I can find a gear for a comfortable cadence regardless of the terrain.