Artemisia wrote:

The lowest gear is not really low enough to get me up my nightmare hill
on the way to work. I have to push furiously and can only manage a few
strokes before giving up to take a breather.

How often do you cycle to work?
and did you cycle to work during winter?

If you have recently started cycling to work after taking a long winter
break, it might be worth persevering, as your leg muscles will improve,
and in a few week you will wonder what the trouble was.