Originally Posted by alanbikehouston

You are seldom correct about anything to do with bikes, but you are right about the usefulness of supplying certain bikes with only a 42 chainring. "Cycling Plus" has often published reviews of UK commuter bikes that have a single ring in front, and 8 carefully chosen cogs in back. The resulting 8 gear choices are precisely matched to the needs of urban commuters, given them 8 useful commuting gears. A "30 speed" bike set up for racing seldom has more than seven or eight unique gear inch combinations that are well-matched for commuting, and sometimes has less.

And, as these eight speed commuter bikes have no front changer or shifter, the manufacturer can put that money toward better wheels, better brakes, better tires. A shocking idea: road bikes that are actually designed for something other than pretending to race.

I'm always amazed when I see guys trying to commute to their office job on a "pretend" racing bikes, set up as if he were racing..even wearing his racing shoes so he can use his expensive racing pedals. With a well-designed commuting bike, these guys could wear a suit, tie, and wing-tip dress shoes, just as many urban UK commuters do. But, not "proper" in the USA, where every guy with a road bike must pretend he is on his way to a race...even if he is simply riding to work or to the grocery store.