Ok, ordered a new Downtube 9FS, and am pretty happy with it with the exception of the gearing... I commute to work about 3 miles, one of which is a fairly harsh incline over a bridge... semi-steep incline up at least 100'. Traditionally I used a much heavier MTB with 24 gears and manage to get a good one where it's bearable and I can get enough speed and power without dying. On the Downtube, I'm either stuck in a muscle ravaging gear or spinning so slow I'm barely making headway up the bridge.

Would changing the gearing on it to 27 gears make a difference for me, or is it the smaller wheels on inclines I'll just have to accept? (from Downtube: "Front derailleur braze on will allow one to turn it into a 27sp bike")

How much roughly do you think upgrading the gearing on the bike would run if I did it very budget minded? Thanks.