I'm with you. My old fat legs just don't spin well. I've tried lower gearing - I may spin a littler faster that way going up hills, but I don't go any faster. So most of my bikes end up with 39x25 or 27, 34x23, or something similar. That being said, I'm putting together a bike with a 28x24, giving me low 30's, to try again. But I'm just hill avoidant in general. Unfortunately, the terrain around here doesn't allow me to avoid them altogether.