switching gears

[Barb]

I live in a mostly flat area, so I can get away with using my middle chain ring most of the time. It occurred to me that I was unsure of how to smoothly switch from my middle to my larger (up front) when I was in my smallest gear in back. I know the mechanics of it but if I shift to my biggest ring up front while in my smallest gear in back, won't that be a huge change? I would think I would want to change the front and rear at the same time. If I do that won't I slip my chain? LMAO is your head spinning yet? When I was thinking of trying, I was a long way from home so I thought I better not mess up!

[emily_in_nc]

Ah, the key is not to shift in the front when you're in the top or bottom gear in the back. You could drop your chain or jam it up and go down like a sack of potatoes (been there, done that). My husband, who has been riding for years, taught me to always be about three rings from the top or bottom before making that front shift (in either direction). There is much less stress on the chain and front derailleur that way, and I haven't dropped my chain or missed a shift since I started doing it this way. The key is to anticipate based on the terrain coming up in front of you and shift up or down in front before you absolutely have to!

Good luck,
Emily

[Barb]

I understand what you mean about anticipation but would you wind up avoiding the upper and lower gears in the rear all together when on my middle ring up front? For instance, say I am cruising along on my middle ring and about the middle in back. As I approach a hill I should switch to the smaller ring up front before I downshift in back? And vise versa?

[emily_in_nc]

Good question, Barb. It's largely a matter of experience, I think, because after awhile you'll get a good feel for what size of hills you can manage in your middle ring completely and which are so long or steep you'll definitely need "granny's" assistance! ;) If you see a monster hill approaching, you'll want to go to your inner ring before you max out in back, that's all. But many (most?) hills you may well be able to climb without ever having to shift to your granny ring. Once I make the decision not to go to my easier ring, I feel free to use all the cogs in back, knowing that I've now committed to not downshifting since I'll probably drop my chain if I do!

Since you live in a mostly flat area, you may not get a chance to practice and refine this skill, which could make for a bit of a challenge should you travel to a hillier area for an event or tour. But it's not a difficult thing to master once you get the hang of it.

As for shifting into a more difficult gear, on a descent you'll want to go to your outer (52-t) ring a couple cogs before you max out in the back, and that's a good practice anyway since normally you'll start hearing your chain grinding as you get to the smaller cogs in the back in the middle ring in the front. The other alternative is just to stay in the middle ring til you run out of gears in back, then coast!

So yes, there are definitely some gears that you will rarely use. You want to avoid excessive chain stretch (and noise) that results when you're in the granny and middle ring in the front and smallest cogs in back; and vice versa, avoid the larger cogs in back with the large ring in front. Effectively, a 27 speed bike is really more like a 24 or even 21-speed if you use only the gears that don't make noise and don't result in excessive chain stretch.

Does this help? (Sorry it took awhile; I've been away from the boards for a few days.)

Emily

[Barb]

That helped alot. I have been seeking out hilss to work on because I want to tour next year (or maybe in the fall). Now if you could stop the rain for a while so I could get out there....

[emily_in_nc]

Oh good - glad that helped! Feel free to send some of the rain our way. We've only had 2/10" since May 3rd and are completely parched. I'd even give up a good day of cycling for a day of rain at this point!

Emily