Right now I only ride a 40x17 brakeless (I commute to and from school, 6 miles of which are perfectly flat, and the last mile being up/down a really steep hill with an intersection midway thus the low gear ratio I guess). I do just fine up and down the hill, would moving up to 44x17 make the difference between being able to make it up the hill or not/safely going down it? maybe I should go for 44x18 or would I be wasting my money getting the cog when I could just get a smaller chainring? Also keep skid patches in mind when recomending a gear ratio please!