Originally Posted by
Canker
I'd ignore all these people and put easier gearing on the bike if you need easier gearing. I don't know what it is with roadies and their HTFU attitudes. Get a Wolf tooth roadlink and stick an 11-36 or even 11-40 cassette on the back of that thing. Won't cost much and you can always swap back when you get your climbing legs.
Actually what he asked for was both higher high and lower low. He also mentioned coming from a flat area and moving to a hilly area. Before buying parts it might be to his advantage to try and stay with his current gearing for a time, to see if he even needs to change it.
It might help him to hear that experienced climbers who are older, heavier, and in questionable condition (me) climb and descend hundreds of thousands of feet each year with more limited gearing than he already has. Or maybe not.