Originally Posted by
MattFoley
My thinking on the subject is that, since climbing is an area I focus on, doing most of my riding with the lowest possible gearing isn't going to do me any favors...better to train on gearing that's slightly tougher than I'd like, so I'm not tempted to bail out into an easy gear. I'd rather adapt my fitness to the gearing over time, than match my gearing to my fitness level right now.
I don't think you're right about that, though I do understand where you are coming from.
If you choose the lower gearing, and spin up the climb at a higher cadence, you will be transferring the strain from legs to cardiovascular system. That will almost certainly get you up a long climb faster, and will at the same time give you a harder CV workout: so you will actually get fitter, faster, with the "easier" gearing at similar speeds. Watch the pros on long climbs. Most of them turn easy gears fast rather than grind up. This is not because they lack leg strength, trust me.
Typically, it is not leg strength that limits us when climbing, it is our aerobic capacity. So if I were you I'd fit the gears you can readily manage, and only go to the tougher cassette once your fitness has advanced to the point at which you can spin that, too.