Quote Originally Posted by RoadRaven
Triple chain rings (ie, granny gears) are meant to save knees/enable climbing to happen up hills...

However, you will never go up a hill fast in a granny gear.

Part of my training includes hill repeats, going up in a gear I can just get on top of without standing. This is to increase my anaerobic fitness.

I stop as soon as I think I might possibly be feeling a hint of maybe a twinge in either knee.

Perhaps this is what the club leader was talking about. If he believes your goal is to be able to climb hills, not just get up them (in racing terms), then I completely understand why he said not to use granny gears (and this is why I refuse to have a triple chain ring on my bike).

But you know your legs and your goals. If you want to climb hills fast, you either have to learn to spin in your triple as fast as you can in a the small chain ring... or, you could try what I am doing which is the hill repeats, slowly trying to push a bigger gear - but remaining constantly aware of what your knees are telling you. it will take time - you muscles have to grow and strengthen to support the demands, but slowly and surely it will work.

Good luck, and remember, although it is useful to hear advice (like club leader) always try and get a second opinion (like helpful mtn biker) and always always listen to your body and take your main cues from it.

Good luck
This was very well written and very informative. I have a couple of questions though...when you said you stop when you feel a twinge in a knee I'm assuming that you just shift into an easier gear? Or do you mean you just stop doing hill repeats? I'm sure you don't mean to stop altogether. Also, how many times should you repeat a hill? Should I do the first one in as hard a gear as I can without hurting myself and then on subsequent ones use one gear lower (easier)? Or should I use one gear that I can climb the hill with several times? Sorry, but to newbies these things aren't obvious. Thanks.