I think most of my improvement is from pacing it better... leaving more for the final steep bit and riding the first bit at a more even pace but really it's from starting from a very slow time
If you are friends with someone on Strava you can click through to the full ride and it shows the bike they used ( or say they used ) but really it's not the point and it doesn't matter
For me it's an easy way of tracking progress and having a bit of fun. I picked Avey lane because it's a long enough climb that you can't just go out and sprint it ( at least I can't ) and because it's road it's not affected by the weather from one week to the next.
Really the only person you're racing is yourself
Talking about the times and who's fastest on a forum is just a bit of banter and a way of motivating yourself when you're half way up and just want to stop and push.
So what ever time you post on your Fatty is just as 'valid' as the time I post on my 29er... you just need to go faster the next time