Originally Posted by schnee
What part of So Cal, and how crazy are the hills? I'm in San Diego, and I couldn't imagine being able to do some of the hills I can now on a single gear. Some of them are just super-steep... others are steep, rutty, rocky and technical. Without a 'granny gear' I'd have to walk up most of them.
I guess the real question is, how many hills do you have to get off and walk as compared to before, and if the answer is 'none', is it because you prefer inherently less 'technical' rides?
I live in Altadena, right at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. They are pretty steep - elevation gain of 1,200' in 2.5 miles is not uncommon. I don't walk very often but there are some secions that are so loose and rocky that I do walk up. I definintely walk some sections that I could ride before but not that many, just takes a different style - a lot more standing and mashing. My bike is much lighter (~19 lbs) so that helps as well. I like techincal rides quite a bit but don't really care about speed; I'm fast enough and I like the control that riding a fixed gear gives me to more than make up for it's drawbacks.
Nothing wrong with a little walking(running) the bike once in a while - it's good 'cross training.