Originally Posted by
layedback1
My Rans has 27 gears...
You may have 27 different combinations available, but you don't have 27 usefully different ratios - probably more like 15-18 of them.
Originally Posted by
layedback1
When will the push to add gears to bikes end.
Well, with each added gear the benefit while JRA of adding one more gear will diminish. But some people are willing to pay top dollar to be the first with the latest, so we can expect manufacturers to keep looking for new angles a while more.
Originally Posted by
layedback1
...and even that is probably too many.
speak for yourself. The more gears you have, the closer you can run to your fatigue limit while still maintainning a cadence where you are effective.
Originally Posted by
layedback1
.... Now there are 10 and I think I have heard of someone having 11 speeds in the rear. This is over kill and makes no sense.
I don't know about that. There's a rumor about Shimano launching a 10-spd MTB line, which would give you almost the range of a current riple from a double crank.