Three years of fighting the hill on my ride to the hospital, then a guy named Dave told me one thing

Wade Foster · 2026-10-19T17:30:03.685809+00:00

Three years ago I started biking to work at the hospital in Dayton, and there is this one hill on Fifth Street that used to wreck me every single morning. I would grind up it in my highest gear, standing on the pedals, heart pounding, and still show up sweaty and grumpy by 7am. Last month a coworker named Dave watched me do it and just said, "you know you can shift down before the hill, right?" I felt like a total idiot. So I tried it for a week, dropping to a low gear at the bottom and spinning easy instead of pushing hard, and my whole ride feels different now. My legs are less tired and my time is actually about a minute faster. What gear do you folks use for a long climb, and do you shift early or wait until you feel it?

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Three years of fighting the hill on my ride to the hospital, then a guy named Dave told me one thing | Bike Commuter Tips - Guest Forum