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My personal minimums for sporty bikes that can handle both climbing and descending well are 2x7 or 1x11 - anything less represents an unnecessary compromise. Just about any old bike can take a 7sp freewheel with modern tooth profiles so why put up with anything inferior? And for mountain bikes with 1x drivetrains, anything less than 11 gives annoyingly large gaps between gears on a wide range cassette so you're better off with multiple chainrings instead of 1x at that point. In my opinion 2x8 (or 3x8 if you need to carry/tow cargo) is still the sweet spot for cost to performance ratio since compatible parts are plentiful, cheap, and highly effective - that's what I rode for years and would use again if I was starting with over 0 bikes and a limited budget. These days though all my bikes are 2x11 or 1x12 and I have no plans to go back - the tech is nice if you can afford it.
