Originally Posted by BC Dub
I live in pretty hilly terrain, and run 39x15 with 165mm cranks and 27" wheels (70.4 gear inches). I may go to a larger front ring when I build my 700c wheels.
I used to run the exact same setup, and it worked well for me.
Now I'm running 72gi (41/15), with 700c wheels and 172.5mm cranks.
Its a little tougher, but I think moving to the longer cranks moved my torque curve down a bit in the RPM range, so it actually feels alright just grinding up the hills at a steady pace.
Regarding the freewheel.. I 'just' put a 16T bmx freewheel this week, along with my bmx platforms, as I was having clipless pedal issues. It felt really weird coasting down the big hill to work. I don't think I like it
On the QR subject, I have had regular nuts slip on me, so I wouldn't trust a QR alone.