A fella that knows a little bit about road bikes is Greg LeMond. He attributes his success as a teen to having a bike with a maximum gear of 85 inches. That forced him to develop the high cadence rate he later needed as a pro.

LeMond has good advice for pro sprinters, and he also has good advice for the rest of us (which is to NOT use the gears used by pro sprinters).

When he was winning the Tour de France, LeMond knew better than to use "super" gears. His preferred gear for his final hundred meter sprint was 102 gear inches, with a goal of winding up to 130 RPM's.

LeMond suggests that an amateur who races should use a maximum sprint gear of about 94 gear inches, and develop their speed through higher cadence. So, commom sense suggests that the 99% of roadies who do NOT race ought to be using a maximum gear of less than 94 gear inches.

In 2007, when a 50 year old banker comes into a bike shop to buy a road bike, what do they sell him? Well, they might sell him a road bike with an 11 x 23 cassette and a 39/53 crankset. That setup has gears that include 110 inches, 119 inches, and 130 inches. All far beyond what Greg LeMond ever used in his pro career. On a bike being sold to a 50 year old guy who is gonna ride maybe 100 hours a year.

The "small" ring on that setup runs from 46 gear inches to 96 gear inches. Every gear that Greg LeMond suggests for an amateur who IS RACING can be obtained on the small ring. And for a guy who is just riding to relax, lose weight, get to work or get to school? Even that 96 gear is far more than he will ever need.

There are a few (very few) modern road bikes with sensible gearing. In 2005, the BMC "Team Machine" could be purchased with a 50/34 crankset and a 12 to 25 cassette. That gave the small ring a range between 37 and 77 gear inches, ideal for riding up hills, and into a headwind. The "big" ring has a range between 54 gear inches and 113 gear inches. Only the 104 and 113 gears will be wasted on the average amateur cyclist, leaving eight useful gears on the "big" ring (54 to 96 inches).