How many speeds should i get on a road bike?

I live in Oakland where there are hilly areas. I want to make sure I have the right gear sets to make it up them.

I would look for about the highest number of speeds you can get if you live in a hilly area. Normally a good number is around 30. The more speeds you have the better chance there is that you will match you aptimal cadence, or essentially the best gear ratio for you. I would make sure sinco you live in a hilly area to get a triple crank. You may not use that small cog to often but when you get to that huge long hill you will want it. Hope that helps.

M R has it right on this one. its not 'how many' but 'which ones'. Any bike with a triple chain ring will probably have a low enough gear. But in really hilly areas you might need to replace stock gears with even lower ones. Some bikes have a "compact double" chain ring up front. This means that even though it "only" has 18 speeds the low ones are low enough to get you over the hills. This all assumes you are reasonably fit and are willing to train yourself to ride up hills. There is no mechanical fix for cardio training.

It isn't the number of "speeds" (gears) you need to look at but the range of gear ratios. Most rides get a triple chain ring crank for riding lots of hills. The granny (smallest) assures you of low gears to make the hills easier to ride.