Yeah, those grades do keep changing - I particularly hate the switchbacks on the long 5 mile climb I sometimes do when I'm on the inside of the curve. They can really be tough compared to the rest.

Ultimately, the main thing I want to be able to do is make comparisons to others, even if less than perfect. I mean, think how many times people talk about how they had this "big" hill or "long" hill or "steep" hill, etc - even comments about how strong the wind is.

At least with distance, you can get some specific numbers from a few posters. But few really know the changes in elevation they are doing. Still, sometimes a person will give the percent grade and now that I can at least approximate my grades, I can tell how I compare a bit better.

This may mean more to me than to some others because I'm almost always riding alone so I don't get to make direct comparisons to other riders.

Thanks for the insights.

Bob