Women & Bicycles Tip: Know The Power of Shifting
This entry is part of our Women & Bicycles Bi-Weekly Tips series. Women & Bicycles is WABA’s outreach and encouragement initiative to build a stronger women’s bike community and get more women on bikes. Click here to learn more and get involved.
Shifting gears; important for greater comfort, power, and in general for being a more confident bicyclist. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we’re consulting Bicycling magazine to get you shifting like a pro. Want some in-person assistance? Check out a WABA City Cycling class, or ride with us this Sunday!
Here’s what Neil Bezdek wrote for Bicycling:
1. The Gears Most bikes have two or three chainrings in the front and anywhere from 7 to 11 gears, or cogs, in the back. Moving the chain from the smallest rear cog to the largest eases your pedaling effort incrementally. Moving it between the chainrings in the front results in a more noticeable change—pedaling feels easier in a smaller chainring and harder in a bigger one. 2. Shifter Savvy The left-hand shifter changes the front gears; the one on the right controls gears in back. If you get flustered on the fly, remember: RIGHT = REAR. 3. It’s Okay To… • Use only the rear cogs and the small or middle front chainring when you’re just getting comfortable on a bike. • look down to see what gear you’re in. • shift whenever a more experienced rider does. 4. When to Shift The reason bikes have gears is so you can pedal (relatively) comfortably no matter what the terrain. Shift to an easier gear on climbs or when you’re riding into the wind. Use a harder gear on flats or if the wind is blowing from behind. When in doubt, shift before the terrain changes. When you shift, ease up on the pedals, especially on hills; if you’re pushing hard, the chain may skip or fall off. 5. Avoid Cross-Chaining That means the chain is at an extreme slant, either in the big ring up front and the biggest cog in back, or the small ring up front and the small cog in back. This not only stresses the hardware, but it also limits your options if you need to shift again. 6. Cheat Sheet For: Uphills and headwinds Use: Small or middle front chainring + bigger rear cogs For: Downhills Use: Large front chainring + a range of rear cogs For: Flat terrain Use: Small or middle front chainring + smaller rear cogsWe searched the internet high and low for an effective video tutorial on shifting gears, and we came across Ken here from Landry’s Bicycles:
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