Riverman said:
Something makes me feel like I'd have to spin at 110rpm or above to go the same speed uphill as I do on the flat.
That's not quite what I said... The thing that stays the same is the rate your feet spin at, the cadence - as the gears go lower, that same cadence gives you a lower speed. (if you drive, think about how the number of revs gives you different speeds in each gear, or alternatively, the difference a pulley makes when you are lifting a load). The people who pass me apparently effortlessly aren't spinning faster than on the flat, but at the same cadence in a lower gear. They are going slower than they are on the flat, but spinning at the same rate, and happen to be fit enough to be going uphill faster than me. I try to do this, but sooner or later I run out of low gears and if the hill is still going I'm reduced to grinding at a slower cadence (if it's very bad, I run out of enough momentum to keep upright!)
On a trike, where overbalancing isn't a problem, you can have a tiny tiny low gear and just winch yourself slowly up at less than walking pace.
I don't think you're coming across as arrogant at all - I think we just need to know your real cadence and speed (I mean, not a guess at speed, which can be hard to estimate) and all will become clear. Plus, we are assuming that your set up is as stated in the link you posted - to be quite sure, you could count the teeth on your chainrings and sprockets...
