Originally Posted by TheRCF
But there are some hills I have started to take on - typically 1 to 2.5 miles. That's where I really need a lower gear capability.
In those cases you're not constantly shifting. Assuming an average speed of 10 mph on these hills, you're talking about 6 - 15 minutes in the small chainring. In that case, I don't think it'd be a case of frequent shifting.