I read the gears y'all are using and I feel so inadequate. Granted, I'm packing more poundage than I should be but I really have to wonder if asthma has a much broader effect than I realized. On my old Lemond -a 9 speed- I used a 30/30 to get up some of our local climbs. That worked pretty well. I lost that option when I got my Giant, where I have a 30/28 for my lowest gear. I can still get my HR way up there. I just figure the gears you guys talk about will always just be a fantasy to me.... though a little voice in my head keeps saying "Try a compact". I mean, how much difference is there, really, between a 30T and a 34T?