One of my long distance bikes is a 1955 Lenton that is running a 46 tooth chain ring with 16 and 18 tooth cogs and covering 100 miles on this is a joy... the gearing works out to 67 and 75 gear inches as it runs on 26 inch tyres.

The lower gear is good for when there is more climbing, wind, or when I am travelling with a slower group as I find that when I am spinning that 75 gear inches I find that most folks can't keep up or I have to reduce my cadence to a less than optimal speed.

Just because we're both old does not mean we aren't fast.