Originally Posted by 91MF

after reading this thread i thought: 'that roadie was totally wrong. nevermind the cog, OPs friend needs a 42t chainring'

i live in canada too[near you] and our hills are barely that. i have a sscx with 42/17 and can hold an average of around 29-32km/h all day no problemo[check my strava]. accelerating to ~50kmh is not an issue either. i have done group rides with my club[yes roadies] on that bike. with 35c tires. and im not fast or strong, i just dont give up easily - quantity of beer consumed irrelevant. spin it to win it.

also, walking hills is not acceptable. if you absolutely must get off, HTFU. if that doesn't work shoulder the bike and run cyclocross style.

honestly, running a lower gear will make you a beast. practice high cadence as smooth as possible with a nice complete pedal stroke.

and for the record, climbing on a fixed gear is easier than SS because the weak spot in your pedal stroke is compensated for by drivetrain momentum.