Lowering the gearing by only one gear inch sounds like a lucky break! With my newest bestest bike requiring a magic gear, and similarly unenthused about half links, I found myself dropping down to just under 65", from a long time regular of closer to 70 (though one of my bikes was also 44x17, or about 68). I was a little worried, but it actually worked out fine thanks to all the hills I have to deal with, and not enough long level straights to be bothered about a bit of extra spinning freewheeling.