Originally Posted by
terrymorse
The number of gears is less important than the high-to-low gear range.
If the 2x8 setup gives you an adequate low gear for the riding you do, and the top end is high enough to keep you from spinning out, then you're fine.
The "more gears are better" crowd will tell you that having just that right gear combination for the current condition is important, but that's a Goldilocks argument. Humans are not that delicate.
This ^^^
You only need to have close gears when you need to maintain maximum power. Keeping up with your group on on hills or closing gaps in races or things like that. For less intense riding, 20% gear changes are fine. You lose power at lower cadence, but not efficiency and not as much speed as you think. If you are not racing or riding in a competitive group you don't really need a lot of gears.
When I had a 20 mile commute, my 6s was just as fast as my 10s race bike, and my single speed was almost as fast. Wind and traffic made more difference than the number of gears. The only time the race bike was faster was when I was late and had to put in a maximum effort, but I could only do that one direction, and never on consecutive days.
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