Just when you think a washed-up semi-professional bike blogger can’t find anything more to complain about, here I come with a new Outside column about how bicycle gears are getting too darn low:

I mean obviously it’s way more nuanced than that, but I’ve been spending a lot of time on the Vengeance Bike:

And the more I do the more I ask myself, “Are all those gears really necessary?”

Hey, I’m old, I’m unfit, my back’s still fucked up from lifting an air conditioner the other day, and it’s hot as balls out..yet not only did I make the 6-speed with a 42/21 low gear work, but I enjoyed every pedal stroke, even the uphill ones. I mean, sure, I may have looked like some horrific undead Yehuda Moon/Fred hybrid out there:

But maybe road bikes don’t need such low gears is all I’m saying. Instead of gearing down your road bike, sometimes it’s better to gear down your lifestyle:

There’s so much more to life than drop bars, and lots of aging Freds are in need of a wake-up call. Downshifting is just hitting the “snooze” button.