Well, everyone has different needs, I suppose. One problem with the high bottom bracket is that it makes the bike incompatible for short folks, like my girlfriend. She rides with the seat so high that it might as well be a unicycle. The other thing is that folding bikes are meant to be folded. It takes 2 seconds to lower the seat. If you mark the height spot with an indelible ink marker, it takes 2 seconds to raise it.
Having a high BB and a short reach makes for a bit of an awkward bike design on the NS. She optimally would have 160mm cranks on the bike, but that's simply not possible because she would be waaaay off the ground. Now, she's just waay off the ground.
I'm using a 38T chainring, and the gearing seems about right for the flat city. Celina spins at about 60 and averages 12-15 MPH and I spin at about 90 and average about 18MPH on the Downtube (20MPH on the Birdy), so it's a bit undergeared for me at 38T. But I like to coast downhill, so it's not too much of a problem.
By the way, Air, if you still need a free seat, let me know.