Thanks for all the good replies and awesome info! This does help a lot. It makes me feel great to be able to get to the top of the hill but I am so slow, lol. I can see I am improving but it hurts my averages a lot that I cannot stand to power up a hill like most people. I have had knee issues in the past and everytime I try and stand up on the bike, it shoots pain through my knees instantly. So I have to stay in the saddle and slolwly make my way up. I am aggravated with myself that I cannot stand to power up them. I have always enjoyed mountain biking more but the steep short hills always got me because of this. Now I am concentrating on the road instead.