Wow, some folks seem really defensive about walking up hills.
To me it's just one of those things you can rag your riding buddies about and I've been on both ends of it. We have plenty of hills here and almost any organized ride will have a few walkers. I don't think I've ever heard anyone give them a negative comment. That said, learning to climb hills, even at a walking pace, is just part of riding. More about competence than machismo. If someone is walking hills regularly they might need to think about their gearing. BTW, I love steel and C&V and probably will never own a carbon bike.
