We did the upper Lopez Lake Rd. in and out ride. Only 35 miles and almost 3,000' from our place in Arroyo Grande. The tandem did fine in the long steep grades. The shifting was good but not great. We have a disc brake in the back and in the descents I had to adjust the pads twice because they were fading. We are glad we did these changes but we may be getting too old for the very steep grades.