Originally Posted by
redlude97
It takes a 165lb rider ~300w to maintain 5mph @45rpm in a 39x28 on a 15% gradient. This goes up to ~340 watts @185lbs. While doable, not what I'd recommend.
There you go, injecting reality into this thread.
But, since you did ... at 340 W, most of the people on this forum probably would be at or above their VO2max which, apparently, is to be avoided at all cost. Also, 340 W only gets you to 5 mph, so you really need to punch it up to about 400 W (6 mph) to avoid stability concerns. Yet, "a 53-39 11-28 is enough to get up hill gradients at around 10 to 15% depending how sustained the incline is."
Go figure ...