How long did each "speed" last you?

[sorted]

1 speed 198x-1989, 2014 to date (s/s CrMo road commuter)
5 speed 1989-1993
7 speed 1993 to date (26" MTB)
8 speed 2014 to date (STI - CrMo road commuter)
9 speed 2013 to date (29er MTB)

I'm still on 8 speed as well. It does what I want it to and I'm not racing so 8 speeds with a chromo steel frame are plenty for fitness and commuting.

Me too for the majority of my riding. For racking up commuting kms, it's hard to beat - robust, easy to maintain and comparatively cheap to run.

[TrikeTragic]

1 speed (various sizes) - my "growing up" bikes, no hills at Katunga Vic and gears were for pros!
2 X 5 speed roadie - 1979 - 1995 my "return" to cycling as an adult( a guess, gave the bike to an exchange student...)
3 X 5 steel hard tail MTB 1991 - 2001 (cannabalised for bits, went to hard rubbish....)
3 X 7 Trek MTB 2001 - now, still going
3 X 9 Flying Furniture (Apoyo) trike 2006 - now, still going. Love every one of those 27 gears in the hills
2 X 9 Spinburn Genki folder 2014 - now, my commuter.
Cheers
Alan

[kenwstr]

3 speed about 1769 to 1976 dragstar with Stermi hub
10 speed 1981 converted to 12 speed about 2005 to 2014 Malvern Star Sportstar frame done up as a road trainer
22 speed 2014 - Bianchi Impulso Ultegra and lovin it!

Ken

[Eleri]

3 speed Sturmey Archer hub through most of the 70s
various single speed bikes through the 80s and 90s
1995 - 2011 7 speed Shimano 105
2010 - now 10 speed Shimano

and back to fixies and single speeds.

[il padrone]

1769 was a good year for 3-speeds

[PatNZ]

1769 was a good year for 3-speeds

Ken must of found an Elixir of life

[Bentnose]

Seeing as everybody else is going back into the mists of time, I said I didn't know what I had before 1993, I believe it was:

Sturmey Archer 3spd on a Raleigh Grifter like a kids MTB before MTB's were invented 1978 to 1988
MTB 6spd 1988 to 1993

[kenwstr]

1769 was a good year for 3-speeds

Ken must of found an Elixir of life

Yep I'm pretty spry!

Ken