Originally Posted by Tightwad
Sure , I know a race or mountain bike needs a wide range of
gearing,but gee whizz do you really need 21 speeds for normal
riding? I've seen many riders ,in town, stand up to pedal
rather than deal with the confusion of shifting a derailer!!
If those people are standing up and powering their way up a hill, in lieu of shifting, then they're not riding their bike correctly. The only time I ever stand up, is when I'm going up a long, steep hill and my energy level is starting to drop. 99% of the time I'm seated in the saddle.
That tells me that on most bikes the gears are window
dressing to sell bikes as they will serve no real purpose.
Would you buy a car that only had one gear? Humans are like engines. We have a "torque peak", at which we are most efficient. Gearing allows one to take advantage of that efficiency level, and much like a multi-gear transmission allows a car to drive at high speeds at low RPMs, a bicycle transmission allows a rider to maintain a correct cadence while maintaining a variety of speeds.
So for those that actully use gears......
What type of gearing is best for all round use?
Internal hub and how many gears...3..5..7..8..14??
Derailers.....5..6...7..what?
I use every single of the 27 gears on my Allez. And I'm constantly shifting as I match my energy level to that of the terrain and speed I want to maintain. Certainly, you can get away with having a 21, 14, or whatever speed bike, but if you're at all serious about riding a MTB or road bike, then you're going to have to get used to shifting.
I'll bet your car is an automatic, right?