If you're referring to the route pictured, the problem isn't your bike or the gearing. It's the engine.

Subtracting the earlier bump and descent, you're climbing roughly 200' in 2.5 miles. This shouldn't challenge anyone in decent shape. Its the equivalent of climbing 20 flights of stairs in a bit under half an hour.

What I suggest, is that you try to find some routes with hills and do more hill climbing, though less ambitious, to build up to where this one can be taken in stride.

BTW - an easy way to gauge overall fitness is to climb stairs, or a hill of known height against the clock. This isn't a scientific or precise measure, but it will give you a sense of what you can do.


Of course, you can drop gearing yet lower, giving you more time to climb the hill slower, but you'll run into limitations in your ability to control a bike at walking speed, and IMO grinding up a hill his way only prolongs the agony. It's necessary when climbing taller hills, but I don't think it should be for anything this small.