Thanks! I have heard good things about the gear ratios of hub gears. I don't know if my thinking is correct but here is my logic: I foresee two situations. The first is I am riding with no electric assist, pedaling the bike from 0 to a speed of 15-20 mph. The second is I am riding with the motor at full or partial speed, going as fast as 20 mph by motor and will want to pedal to make it go faster, maybe 25 or 30 mph - wishful thinking, huh . I am guessing that my gearing needs will be substantially different in both situations and am thinking that I will need the front derailler to help give me the spread of gears that I need. If the high gear is not high enough then after the motor reaches speeds of, say, 16 or 17 mph pedaling will not accomplish anything. If 1st gear is not low enough then it will be very difficult to get a bike, motor, battery and rider with combined weight of 260 pounds or more going without putting a lot of stress on the body. If the spread is not even enough I will loose momentum or tire easily.