Interested hear was people would say here too. IMHO for what I ride in Scotland a 2x is a must to give to range. With a 706% gear range a 60lb bike with kit and me it can be pretty tough going on a 10 – 20% gradient with rocks and roots on soft ground grinding away. On the other side of the hill push up a gear to gain time going down. Rarely travel on tarmac. A mix of double track in all conditions mixed with Singletrack.