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@nimchimpsky82
I used to live in Liverpool, which was (a) very flat and (b) had mostly pretty decent road surfaces (well, where I chose to ride anyway :-)).
Now up in Lancaster and things are quite different. Descents are indeed not very enjoyable, and even with brakes when I need them I suspect I would be tempted to use my legs if I kept the fixed gear sprocket. Bumpy surfaces in many places where I now enjoy riding are proving a bit of a pain as well: I lift myself out of the saddle slightly to allow my legs to absorb the bumps but for obvious reasons find this much less easy on the fixie than on my geared road bike.
I'd not considered gearing down; perhaps I should have and perhaps I will in future. Am hoping, for now, that since I find climbing with 42x17 quite doable keeping the gearing the same will help me maintain decent cruising speeds.
Currently thinking of using the opportunity for a slightly more comprehensive conversion, away from the flat bars (too few positions for my liking) to drop bars. Many options there in theory but I'm constrained by the 25.4mm quill stem clamp diameter, so almost certainly Nitto or Soma. (Sure, could change the quill stem too but that's beginning to feel a little wasteful.)