My venerable '72 MBGR came with 52/40 chainrings & 14/24 FW in back. It was perfectly fine when I lived and rode in Flatland (Illinois) until we moved up into SW WI late in 2013.

Or I should say until I started riding it again earlier this year, after a 12 year hiatus.

There are hills here. Some're HILLS. Even a few HILLS... it't ain't California or Colorado though so my question is:

With 120 OLD geometry in back, and a choice of cogs from 14t to 34t, what's a useful 2nd - 4th combo for recreational rides < 20 miles in length?