@dwette ,
Great birthday ride. We have the yearly Kancamagus Highway ride which circles through four notches, 80 miles 5300 feet of climbing, but I am not about to do it with one gear! I will not be able to do it this year.
I am a Campagnolo guy. When I was a kid I drooled over a Raleigh Professional full Campy. Back then everything else was junk. So, I has Campy on the brain from a young age. Once I had money I always used Super Record. We laughed a SRAM in the beginning but they have come a long way and are very creative while Campy has failed to innovate and is always playing catch up. It is still really nicely made stuff and IMHO the wheels are the best. Campys freehub is whisper quiet. I'd rather hear my tires sing on the downhills. I have never been able to bend a rim or pop a spoke on a Campy wheel. Remember the days we use to shove extra spokes up the handlebars? The other thing is Momag. Campy (Fulcrum) tubeless rims have no spoke holes in them = no rim tape. They hold air much better once the tire seals. I use Orange Seal by the way. It is the best I have ever used. I have another set of wheels with Hutchinson Sector 32's on them buy I am so comfortable on the other wheels I hardly ever use them. Right now I am riding a standard 50/34 11-34 about the same gearing as you. I do not like the one-by's. Too big a jump between gears.
Have you ever done any tours through Europe?