Well I'm happy to report that my trusty 1991 DC Supercourse was a great companion this summer and let me climb my first passes in the Alps courtesy of the 28x26 granny gear ! Hey on a 10% slope at 90 rpm that's about 330 watts or 4.4 watts/kg for me, that's a lot ;-) In any case it was a terrific experience and I'm thinking I might want to get a modern bike at some point...