The Nomad I saw belongs to the guy that owns the shop. He was rather elusive about how he got the bike. It sounded a bit like somebody paid a debt with the bike - something the owner would not want to do again and didn't even want to do the first time. I need to chat with the guy some more. He said he rides around routinely in gear 9 and so he thinks the bike is geared too low. Actually, I would say that cruising in gear 9 is probably about perfect!
Around home I am usually in gear 10 or 11 on flat ground (44T chainring, 16T sprocket), but for touring I gear it down about one and a half gears. So an unladen bike on flat ground in my touring setup (36T chainring, 16T sprocket), I would typically be in gear 12.
Thus, if he is usually in gear nine for around town riding, sounds to me like it is geared a bit high. Or, maybe he is a spinner and likes high cadence.
But like all things, there is personal preference.
