Originally Posted by igloomaster
While he was very impressed with the hubs & design of the bike, he said he thought the 42X16 gearing might be too tough. Is 42x15 easier going up hills? As this is my 1st adult SS bike, I'm still learning about this stuff.
42x15 would be harder than 42x16 (Same Chainring upfront, smaller cog in the back). Brush up over at Sheldon Brown's site:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gain.html
I'm running a SS right now at 42x18 (of course, once you read Sheldon's article you'll find that this is meaningless unless I also tell you my wheel size and crank length - 26" and 175mm, I think). I find it to be pretty easy and want to get down to 15 or 16. You might want to give an 18 cog a try. Take it into Harris and they'll do the switch for you, I'm sure. I'd hang onto the 16 though, because you'll likely want to go back to it eventually.