Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,290
Likes: 5,383
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
To answer the part about a difference in hill climbing. Yes most all will notice the easier (by 4 out of 28 or about 14%) effort. Now it will take more crank strokes to get up the hill as each travels less far forward. So either about a 14% faster spin to maintain the same speed, or for the same cadence about 14% slower a pace.
I climbed Old Tahoe Pass in a 34 front and 32 rear combo. Did I want a lower gear, yes, did I make it up with out issue, yes. Andy