The way things worked out I had the crank swapped out and ended up with the FSA Afterburner vs. the Deore. I think I like the looks of Shimano better, but it seems like a well made crank set and BB.

The short way home from the train station includes a section with an 11% grade from an overpass all the way to the turn in for the condo. I could really tell the difference between a 30 and the 26.

Next I will swap out the cassette from an 11-30 to 11-34 just to give me a little lower yet.

Pedaling up the 11% grade with the 26 - 30 my speed was around 4-5 mph. It was still a bit of a struggle with 94 degree temps and heat index of 102. Whew!

Wouldn't you know it that we finally start getting some cooler weather and then it heats up again.