Hi Roody,

I remember when I introduced myself to the Carfree forum a while back, you asked me about how I deal with hills since...well, you all know where I live now

One thing I've noticed that's helped me with hill-climbing that hasn't been mentioned so far is BREATHING. I find that I can maintain a good pace on a slightly harder than optimal gear going up hills when I can control my breathing rate. Also, I remember in another thread related to hill climbing that paying attention to your breathing rate helps you figure out when you need to shift to an easier gear during the middle of your climbs.

Otherwise, I've done a lot of stuff that's been mentioned already, especially the stuff by rumrunn6. I did a lot of that stuff (repetition, controlling my cadence to make sure I don't over-spin or over-mash, etc.)

I'm still packing a lot of excess adipose on my body, just like my user handle, and I'm still a Clydesdale in terms of cyclist weight. Doesn't stop me from going up Twin Peaks every single day after work. Didn't stop me from going up Mt. Diablo two weeks ago, either on my heavy Surly Long Haul Trucker that weighs 31.5 lbs. unloaded (DiabloScott caught a picture of me):

http://www.bikeforums.net/northern-c...s-awesome.html