Is 3 gears enough?

Roxi said:

I am wanting to buy a traditional dutch style bike, such as the bobbin glorie ( Glorie (small) - BOBBIN BICYCLES ) or the sparta country ( Sparta Country traditional Dutch bike with basket & skirt guard [Country] - £660.00 : Cambridge Cycle Company, Bicycles, Cambridge, Cycle, Cycles, Claud, Butler, Pushbike, Bikes, Bike, Mountain Bike, Classic Bikes, hire, Bicycle, Cambridge, Cycle, Cl ) but I cannot find one in the style with more than 3 gears. I live in a fairly hilly area and am not experienced to know whether 3 gears will be enough, what do you think?

Considering that Holland is FLAT ... the gearing on a so-called "traditional Dutch style bike" will probably not be enough to make allow you to make it up hills very easily unless you spend a part of your recreational time running a few miles a day.

If you insist on one of THOSE bikes, you'll need to ensure that the LBS puts a 22t cog on the rear which I think is the largest that is normally available ... the LOW will be the equivalent of about a 28t by my recollection ... and, a 28t equivalent may be low enough for you to use to climb up some short hills DEPENDING on the size of the front chainring & the tyre size -- with a 39t chainring, if you are FIT, then the gearing will probably work for you ...

However, the 22t cog will limit your top speed on the flatter sections of your ride because I think the HIGH equivalent is only around a 17t cog.

YOU can calculate how large a cog you think you need to get up the hills you have ... and, then figure out if a 20t or even an 18t cog will work for you.

YOU need to also determine what top speed you think you need ... are you going to be riding on sidewalks & bike paths OR in traffic?

The range on a 3-speed is broad enough for moderate conditions ... it is probably not broad enough if you have extreme variation in the incline of the roadway you ride on.

I have had several three speeds and live in an area with some mild hills. I predict you would find cycling a bit of a chore until you got stronger.

It is EASILY possible to lower the gearing by changing the sprocket or chainring, and that helps a lot but lowers your potential top speed. Their top gear is usually too high to use on an upright bike with fenders, though.

I believe you could easily find one with eight or nine gears, though you may have to sacrifice the exact style you want. Look at the Bianchi Milano or the Scattante Roma Classico, a house brand of Performancebike.com.