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I live in Edinburgh which isn't the flattest. But I could probably manage fine on 42/28 I reckon... On my other bike when I'm riding around town I tend to freewheel in 39/21 or 19 most of the time which is lower than 42/28. It's just a question of whether I'll ever want to go anywhere that isn't the office/pub/shops/etc. I guess I should assume that I won't for now and decide to upgrade later if necessary.
frankenbike
You can pick up 9spd and 10spd SRAM mtb trigger shifters for about 10-20£ on eBay and here. 10 speed stuff tends to be more expensive (chains, replacement bits), and doesn't increase ratio over the cassette (just an extra mid-block sprocket). SRAM 9 speed and 10 speed is interchangeable between Road and MTB, so you can mix derailleur / shifters / cassettes without any compatability issues.
X7 (10spd) has stated max of 36t, unsure about 9 speed but think it's the same. Rival 10 speed (short cage) are recommended to 28t, med cage version to 32t ... Might be easier and cheaper to get a cassette that maxes your RD and if you feels over or under geared experiment with chainrings. Easier than fucking about over-reaching your derailleur (can be catastrophic for your hanger / frame / derailleur).
But really it depends what sort of riding you're doing and where you live. If this is a pub bike as you've said, don't sweat it, just buy whatever.
Shifters; https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/310533/#comment13860164