well berkeley is by san francisco, so i associated it with steep hills right away... i'm in ok shape but i sweat even in winter just walking around the city, wrong of me to assume though
yea i have a singlespeed modded from an old centurion frame, and mountains bikes will definitely be slower on paved roads compared to road / singlespeeds, also singlespeeds are great to train your cadence and i feel you coast less