11 speed MTB cassette

[ColinJ]

Trust me, it isn't the gears, or the bike, or the tyres. It's the engine that does the work.

Indeed...

There was a hill that I used to ride up on my way back from school, aged 13. It took me 3 attempts before I finally got up it on my 5-speed racer without stopping for a breather, and I always found it a slog. 40 years later I sprinted up it on a singlespeed bike, while carrying a rucksack weighing 6 or 7 kgs!

Middle-aged fit me could have blown away teenage not-as-fit-as-I-thought-was-at-the-time me!