On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 10:57:36 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/19/2018 2:34 AM, John B. wrote:
On Sun, 18 Feb 2018 22:45:55 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/18/2018 8:04 PM, John B. wrote:

So, one might say that for riding in hilly terrain the STI shifters
are mandatory for success while if riding on level ground are far less
important.

Even in hilly terrain, STI is not mandatory for non-competitive success.
I've crossed the Appalachians with friction shifting.

People succeeded in riding in hilly terrain even before there were
derailleurs, let alone STI.

But my experience was that we pushed up a lot of the hills :-)

I know guys who love climbing hills. They enjoy the challenge.

If you grew up in upstate New Hampshire like I did it wasn't a matter
of love it was a matter of necessity. The hills had been there since
the last Ice Age :-)


I was never a hill lover, but I guess I climbed well enough. My personal
challenge was, and still is, to never dismount and push. On our
coast-to-coast trip, my wife and daughter walked a couple hills but I
never did.

In fact, in my first 40 years of riding I can remember only two times I
pushed up a hill. One was on a tandem ride in very hilly Amish country
in summer, riding with friends on another tandem. Steep hills (certainly
over 10% grade), very hot weather and sticky tar pavement combined to
make us push. The other incident was a solo camping trip, climbing out
of a valley on a gravel road. I could have handled the steep grade, but
the gravel gave so little traction I couldn't keep going.


All this with a single speed bike?

Now last fall, I explored a new route and hit a climb that was about 17%
to 18% by the little inclinometer on my handlebar. I was in my granny
gear and standing, and my legs were yelling at me. But I made it. That's
using friction bar-end shifters.
--
Cheers,

John B.