Originally Posted by
mike868y
You are an idiot. There is absolutely no way that 5mm will make that large of a difference up a hill. Maybe your fit is off on the mongoose, but if you have the legs to make it up the hill you could do it with 170s or 175s.
I like it when people do you the favor of announcing up front that their argument probably isn't going to be worth the pixels it's printed on.
Since most riders tend to climb at a lower cadence anyway, the extra leverage probably would be beneficial. (But it would be hell on your knees, going up and down a full 5mm.)
I bought a 177.5 and plan to do some testing on Palomar & Twin Oaks Grade, but so far the only noticeable difference is it's harder to spin at a higher rpm when I've become so accustomed to 175.
P.S. I'm 6'2" and ride a 63cm frame.