Hi Ginny,

I don't do serious mountain riding (yet) but play around in a lot of the local canyons/foothills on a compact double/12-25 cassette. I can keep a pretty good cadence up on what I'd call a moderate sustained climb, 7 from Lyons to Allenspark for example. I find myself shifting up and down (though I spend a good deal of time in my lowest gear). Steeper sections hurt, though and sometimes I wish I had a triple. So I'd say you've got a good well-rounded setup.

[BTW, I'm training for a century and some people I (barely) know and some that I don't are getting together to ride one of the courses this Sat., 100K (pretty flat) starting in Longmont. You're more than welcome to come along if you'd like. If you want details PM me.]

All of the metronome comments make me laugh; I have a hard time with the metronome even when I'm playing piano. I do something similar, though, I always have a song in my head and I pedal along to that. Oddly, it's often something that I am learning on the piano, I've been trying to think through songs lately as I try to memorize them, and I find that I synchronize exactly with things like a car turn signal or pedal strokes. I'd say measure your cadence on something like a stationary bike (or just match another cyclist that seems to keep a consistent cadence) and then internalize the rhythm. The number isn't so important IMO.

Anne