I haven't been on a SS bike in years, so my input might not be worth a whole heck of a lot. But I've never been much of a shifter either. I usually only use about three gear combos while trail riding. So I think that 27+ speeds are excessive on a bike. I guess I'm kinda in the middle somewhere. But I can see where riding a SS bike will provide a different challenge or at least a different feel. Kinda like breaking out the old rigid bike and hitting some of the trails that you breeze over on a HT or FS bike.