Originally Posted by
alhedges
Well, not having proper gearing is a pretty good reason not to use a road bike on hills, and most road bikes don't have good gears for hills. They are good for fast downhills, but that only really works if there is not much traffic.
I mean, when was the last time you heard of anyone using a road bike on HILLS? My touring bike has a granny gear and a wide range cassette, I think it's 48-38-28, with a 14-26 freewheel. It can gear down to something preposterous. I commute on it pretty often, it's great with bags, and taller gearing than most any mtb for when I'm cruising in the flats, and if I need to tackle any incline, I've got a pretty wide range there too.