I took a 36/50 12-25 up a few hills today and it did ok, if I was doing anything much steeper though I'd want one more smaller gear. Keep in mind that I've been back on my bike for less than two months so my legs haven't yet gotten back into shape. In another few months it may be a different story. I have talked to the owner of my LBS who said that it's pretty common for a lot of riders in my area to get compacts (34/50) and slap on a 12-27. I guess people are pretty happy with them after that.