I definitely use my low gears too. Tis why I had my shop switch out my double for a compact.

In fact I spoke with a gal in the shop I was at and she said that compacts are good for our region of wisconsin adn that you'd probably only NEED a triple if you were in the mountains.

But then I'm not a racer, just a rider

I do think that some shops make their bread and butter from repairs and building. One of the local shops told me they make most of their profits from repairs and not bike sales. This was a small town shop that only sells Jamis for the purpose of being price competitive with the nearby Madison Trek stores...