ok, i have ridden fixed for 13 years. i have been through many many frames, have destroyed some incredibly saucy wheels, and through it all, have never staryed from my beloved 42-15 chain ring to cog, tooth ratio. it was the first gear i ever tried, out of necessity of course, and it has never been anything but perfect, until now.
i am now 33 years old, and i live in the hills. i don't drive, and i am forced to climb a VERTICAL mile a week on my fixie, and most of it steeper than i think is "comfortable" for the amount of time i am forced to endure it.

here is the question:

should i even consider trying a 42-17 combination, or is that going to destroy the perfection that exists in the balance that my bicycle and i have. and is this balance simply a result of riding the fixie itself, with the CORRECT gear combination, and not a result of the magic i have attributed to my 42-15 combination through years of putting it on the proverbial pedestal.

in the flats, i absolutely stomp through traffic, i could not ask for more from my bike, but going home every night feels like i am pushing on a brick wall for 20 minutes. can anybody with a lower gear tell me how the control suffers for you, if at all... i would certainly appreciate any input. also, i want to say, i think it is sad that we can't use the word p*ssy on this forum.

-- mu