I agree with all you say. I used a 46T in Tassie, and the back has a Big Apple on it, so that increases the circumference and therefore the gearing as well. I was fine with it, but would tend to spin out on the downhills on my commute where I go 70km/h. That is slightly worse now with 42T, so I just spin like hell to get the speed up to 70, then go into an aero tuck to keep the speed up.
Also, in Tassie there was just one set of hills I couldn't climb, they were about 20% slope, I think if I wasn't heavily loaded I would have been fine even on them.
So on your lighter nimbler Wasp with the blokes, 48T sound right and you could probably go to 50T without a problem.
I don't know, Jur, 8th gear with the 48t seemed similar to 52/11 or even 53/11, so a 50t might snap my ageing legs in two
and I would lose too much in 1st & 2nd.
If I don't take the tandem to Wang/Bright later this year, I might take the Wasp.....at present SWMBO wants to ride solo, might be a good chance to see how she goes.....The Wasp...not SWMBO.
