I've been following this discussion with great interest because I have issues (or had more in the past) with finding the proper gear for hills and my tendancy to get winded. Granted I am not in the best physical condition but I found myself walking up hills often. With a new bike that has a greater range of gears I have yet to had one that I've walked up. However I do at times have to stop and catch my breath on bigger hills.

I have a 14-34t Mega Range cassette on the back and 42/34/24 on the front.

If I am reading all this correctly I might be getting winded from spinning too much? I think this is going to take some trial and error and perhaps I should be practicing and getting the feel of the different gears on flats?

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems as though the additional gears make the effective length of the chain shorter? Is that why I feel that I get quicker acceleration and more power from or is it something else? I think the winded part is more from me not being in better condition + needing more practice with using the correct gear for the situation. And of course timing is everything and catching the feel for when is the optimal time to shift is probably like putting or the short game of golf....it comes with practice.