Changing gears....how exactly is it done correctly?

I don't have advice, but wanted to say THANK YOU for asking this question for me! My bike is a 30 spd hybrid, and I have the same issue with trying to figure out when to switch gears. My first ride last weekend was a series of clicks and clunks as I hit just about every gear combination on the bike. At one point the chain came off too--ugh. Hopefully someone can give us a clue!

Kelly

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/bicycle4.htm

but I would start here:

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/bicycle.htm

Basically, for general riding, you should be able to keep the front in the middle and only work the back gears up and down. For hill climbing (steep hills), front might need to go to the smaller chain wheel, while back might need to go to the larger "wheel". For going fast on downhills or flats front should go to the larger chain wheel, while the back should go to the smaller one. Hope this helps...

hehe, a good question actually....
you will get used to changing the gears after you ride more often, but there are a few little guidlines i can give you to get you on track. if you look at the chain in the small chainring and the biggest rear cog, you will notice it runs in a straight line. if you were to shift into the smallest rear cog from here for example, you will notice the chain is no longer straight, but stretched across to reach the small cog. Riding like this puts stress on the chain, cogs and derailleurs....pretty much the whole drive train, and will cause gears to slip, the chain to stretch and an overall shorter lifespan of the drive train. try avoid this by staying in a range of something like: 1(front), 1-3(back); 2(front), 2-4(back); 3(front), 4-6(back). It probably doesnt matter so much with a six speed bike, but it is good to get into the habit if someday you decide to buy an 8,9, or 10 speed bike.

aidan

Edited by Pro_rider 2004-04-21 10:03 AM

You have to think of your bike as an automobile with a standard transmission. You start your car in first gear and as you want to go faster, you change gears; change too soon and the engine will sputter...too late and the engine will labour. The same holds true with your bicycle except that YOU are the engine. When you ride your bike, you try to hold to a cadence (revolutions per minute), when that cadence becomes difficult to maintain you must switch to a lower (bigger) cog or if the cadence is too easy you must switch to a higher (smaller) cog. There are different combinations of cogsets and chainrings for different bikes so there is no way to tell you exactly when and how to change gears. For example, my bike has an 8 cog set with the 2 chainrings; here is how I (mentally) view my gears.

gog x chainring
25 x 39 = low gear, extremely steep and long hills
23 x 39 = low gear, hills
21 x 39 = 1st gear
19 x 39 = 2nd gear
17 x 39 = 3rd gear
19 x 53 = 4th gear
17 x 53 = 5th gear
15 x 53 = 6th gear
14 x 53 = 7th gear
13 x 53 = 8th gear

And if the chain keep falling off, go to a bike mechanic, he can adjust the limits of the derailleurs. And if its properly adjusted, its supposed that the chain never fall off.

Thanks so much for the info. I got my cat's eye cadence/ distance/ speed computer a while ago and really noticed how much faster my time was for my 20K, just by keeping in the 80-90 range. That is when I got frustrated with the gear changing and figured there might be some science to it, (other than gearing down when going up a hill).

The cadence option on your computer is a good tool to help you pace yourself. DO NOT, hower, look at your cat eye computer too much or too long. You need to concentrate on what is happening on the road around you. It is enough to glance at it once in awhile to assure yourself that you are within your target cadence. Keep training and eventually you won't need to bother looking; you will know instinctively what your cadence is.