Ah,
going uphill is better if you have a
triple chainring road bike. Most of the
low-level parts groups have a
triple chainring option. This way, you get close to
mountain bike gearing, and can tackle
steep hills much more
comfortably.
For some reason, you can't get triple chainrings in the really expensive stuff like Shimano Dura-Ace. I think it's because it's not pure enough for a road bike. No serious road racer would be caught dead with a triple chainring, but for us mortals who aren't running the Tour de France, being able to turn the pedals is a good thing.