Quote Originally Posted by KSH
So, I would rather muscle it up a hill.... sure, I am winded at the top... but I feel like I really worked my body out. I like a little pain (not knee pain though!)!
To clarify, I think I run a 39-26 for everything around here that I could call a hill. I'm getting steadily faster, and I'm able to keep a pretty decent cadence so I don't think I'm damaging my knees. But as tempting as it is I don't think I'm going to go for a compact or triple setup, because I *can* manage with my current double, and it's getting easier.

I also challenge myself to ALWAYS stay seated going up a hill... that really helps to make you stronger. Standing up won't make you better. I only stand up when I feel like I am going to fall over from not being able to peddal sitting down.
Well, it's definitely more efficient to stay seated. Standing increases your heartrate a lot for a small increase in power. But it's good for switching things up on a long haul, and for powering over small "sprinter's hills" without downshifting or losing momentum.

And once my knee pain is fixed... I will power up those hills again.
Good luck. As Irulan says, grinding can be a cause of knee problems. One change you might have to make is spinning a teense easier gear and standing when necessary instead of mashing through a too-heavy resistance.