This is my first post, and I have only been riding a few months. My need to settle an ongoing dispute with my much more experienced moutain biking boyfriend has driven me to this post. I am riding a Specialized Dolce Comp. I feel that my ride is much easier to maintain speed and comfort level when I am in the big gear up front and about mid range in the back. This is of course flat road. When a hill comes up, I downshift to the small gear up front. My boyfriend is CONSTANTLY nagging me to ride in the little gear most of the time - even on flat roads. I have told him again and again that I am more comfortable in the bigger gear as I do not feel tired and I do not have to maintain a higher cadence that I would in the little gear. I am in good shape to start with (ie. weight training, cardio, VO2 Max test was 60% for my age group). So its not like I wasn't active before I started riding the bike.
My question for you, if you are riding a compact, what gear do you usually use on the flat roads - big or little?