I used to think go as low as possible on steeper gradients, but I was fooling around on my ride earlier today and I feel like I'm more efficient in middle to even higher gears--the hill wasn't the steepest by any stretch of the imagination, however. Obviously on really steep ones I'd have to go low. But what about medium inclines? Do you opt to feel more lactic acid burn in the legs and go with a higher gear since there will be less strokes overall when tackling a given grade, or do you back off and go for more strokes/pedals yet less leg burn??
In general, what's the rule for gears with regards to inclines?
In general, what's the rule for gears with regards to inclines?