Do Cyclists Really Need 18 Or More Gears On A Bike?

[sandyRoe]

Wouldn't 5 gears be enough for pootering about town?

[New Judge]

No they don't.

[dannyk13]

Depends what they use the bike for.I would imagine that for town or city 5 gears would be ample.
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[Baldric]

Blooming Lycra Louts, who cares?

[sandyRoe]

I was thinking of getting a bike but I won't be wearing lycra.

[Stephen_G]

Depends on the Town/City, and how flat it is.

If it's nice and flat, then 5 gears would be enough. If there are some steep slopes to negotiate, then the extra gears do come in handy. You've also got to remember that it takes the stress off the pedals/crank/gears, if you've got more to select from (Especially if you're going uphill).

[derekpara]

No, you don't.

When I were a lad it was a fixed gear, or you weren't one of the boys. Up the Union !

[derekpara]

And we never got off for a hill.

Box Hill in Surrey or Bury Hill in Sussex included.

[douglas9401]

Baldric seems to have issues.

[sanmac]

When I was a kid, one gear was fine. When I was in my 50s, 7 gears was great.

[ichkeria]

It’s quite funny watching someone cycling on a flat road in 18th gear :-)

If you’re headed up the Cave Hill Sandy then you’ll need ‘em !

[spathiphyllum]

No bike 'needs' 18 gears, it's all down to the person on the bike! Unlike a lorry, which needs more gears for the weight.

I think 6-12 gears is perfectly reasonable, more so for mountain bikes.

[Flonska]

and . . . Derek . . . on a "fixie" - both feet out of the rat traps and high up on the down bar to avoid the whirring pedals on a descent! Yay!

[sandyRoe]

Most of my cycling will be along the banks of the Lagan or the local canal towards Lisburn.
A three speed sturmy-archer gear set would probably do.

[spathiphyllum]

Sounds perfect Sandy, if not a single speed for them nostalgic feels.

[Ryzen]

Baldrics bike comes with kinky gear :-)

[ichkeria]

A good challenge would be the Lough Neagh path. You’d def not need many gears for that either!

[ABerrant]

"It’s quite funny watching someone cycling on a flat road in 18th gear :-)"

In what way is watching someone cycling on a flat road in the highest available gear funny?

It would be far funnier watching them trying to cycle in 1st gear.

[gness]

Six gears and a battery is enough for me.......I'm happy cycling with that until I remember there are motorists out there who have a Baldric attitude towards us.....a grumpy motorist is a dangerous motorist....x

[ichkeria]

By 18th gear I mean “lowest gear” obviously :-)
Generally when you cycle you don’t move up the gears as you do in a car. You move down, especially on hilly terrain. So I always regard high numbered gears as the low ones.

[Old_Geezer]

When I was a kid, and cycling on roads was feasible, I used to find gears less useful then hoped. Sure you could change down to be able to move the pedals at all going uphill, but then one's legs were circling faster than any reasonable person would want them. Best to get off and push. And eventually realise this was a major flaw; always better to walk shorter distances, and drive longer ones. If one needs exercise, enrol at the gym, or join a sports team, or something.