Originally Posted by
TassR700
An 18-20% hill convinced me to go to a compact crank and I have never regretted it. I got stuck with a 39/26 and almost fell over in front of a car. A 50/34 crank fixed this problem and believe me, it doesn't feel like cheating. You could always switch and then restrict yourself to a 34/23 ratio if it makes you feel better, but you would have the emergency bail out.
Its funny you should say that. On this most recent failure, just after I clicked out, a car and a motorcycle came down the hill. This is very unusual because this is a little-known seasonal road. I don't believe I've ever seen a motor vehicle going up or down it while I was riding. The tought occurred to me that things happen for a reason. What if I had become unstable and veered into the path of the car or motorcycle? It is a narrow road. Who knows.