Originally Posted by
Satyr
Not to mention a hill with an angle of 30 degrees! That sucker would have a grade of approximately 58%. (The grade is the slope (i.e., the tangent of the angle) converted to a percentage, so in particular, a hill that rises a vertical foot for every horizontal foot (angle of 45 degrees) has grade 100%.)
The world's steepest paved street is in Pittsburgh, PA and is called Canton Ave. It's 38%. There are several in SF and LA from 30-35% and one in NZ at 32%. Canton Ave. is part of the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen route which Bicycling Magazine calls the toughest sub-100 mi race in the world.
Anyway, good choice on your ride. Univega is is solid mid-range quality Pac-Rim bike. Lube it up, make necessary adjustments, get some accessories and go.
Would recommend full coverage fenders like Freddy, Planet Bike, SKS, etc. as they'll be a godsend during wet weather.