OOOOOOOPS!..Wot seemed like a good idea!

[ClockworkOrange]

So, my partner and I thought it would be a fantastic idea, after last year riding in the London Bikeathon for Leukaemia Research, to do it this year but to get a team up together.

Well, we are now a Team of 14 - The Blazing Saddles.

It is quite a special team, as many of the riders have had to go out and buy bikes and consequently do not have a clue, how to change up and down the gears. :rolleyes: Saying this, it is incredibly uplifting as they have really set themselves quite a challenge, from not being able to ride a bike to then do 26 miles in July!

So, this is my question, does anybody else have any websites where they do a video clip of this?

We all live spread out across the UK, so it is not as though we can meet up and show them what they should be doing.

Any advice would be a help for total newbies. :)

Clock

[Zen]

That's a pretty tall order considering there are friction shifters, indexed shifting, grip shifting, trigger shifting, thumb shifting....

[ClockworkOrange]

That's a pretty tall order considering there are friction shifters, indexed shifting, grip shifting, trigger shifting, thumb shifting....

Oivay...............trust you Zen! :p

I believe they are called trigger shifting, 3 on one side and 8 on the other. (although I would call them thumb shifters, cos I use my thumbs but they do go both ways).

Now I know what to do but I sure as hell could not explain it to anybody, well, not so it would make any sense.

Hence I would love to find a video clip of it somewhere.

So, c'mon Zen, oh faithful one!

Clock

[ClockworkOrange]

Hahaha, just an after thought Zen, I like what you have below your signature: A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

I think that is what all my friends should have, who are in our Team!

OK...........chill and relax Clock, back to Topic!

[Zen]

How about this? It came from Yahoo Answers. I didn't write it


I'll give you a general answer here...

First, keep in mind that you must be pedalling FORWARD when you shift.

The shifter on the left is to control the 3 ranges of speeds the bike has. It probably has 1-2-3 or H-L on it. 1 or L is going to be the easiest pedalling, while 3 or H will be the hardest pedalling. This shifter controls the 3 sprockets- called chainrings- on the crank (at the pedals). Think of this shifter as selecting the channel on a TV without being able to fine tune it.

The shifter to the right is to control the 7 gears in the back. Again, it may be marked with 1 through 7 or with H and L. Position 1 or L will be the easiest pedalling and 7 or H will be the hardest, with the remaining numbers or space being variants, allowing easier or harder pedalling until you reach one limit or another. Think of this shifter as the fine tuner on a TV.

In usage, start with "2" on the left and "3" on the right- make sure that you are pedalling forward and shifting one side at a time. If it is too easy to pedal, move the right shifter until it becomes more comfortable to pedal. If you reach "7" and it is still too shift back to "3" and move the left shifter to "3". Get the idea? This is way complicated to explain and I hope it doesn't confuse you.

It is probably best to experiment a bit... you'll get the hang of it quickly.

EDIT: You mean there is a thumb shifter to push forward and another to shift back?? Use the one to shift one way, and the other to shift back.

[Zen]

Thinking more about this...

If they are thumb shifters you have two levers directly on top of one another, both operated with the thumb (not with the index finger).

heres how I remember it.

Left shifter]............................ right shifter
H...............................................................E
E...............................................................H


top lever is hard...................................... top lever is easy
bottom lever is easy........................... bottom lever is hard

HE and EH

Does that make sense?

[tantrumbean]

And then there is all the stuff about avoiding extreme chainlines, etc...it might be quite a long video if there is one out there!!!!

[tantrumbean]

Actuallly, there is one - it is very, very basic tho:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-change-gears-on-a-bicycle-261298/

[Zen]

I notice there's a video on the site that tells you "How To become a sperm donor" :eek:

[ClockworkOrange]

Zen and tantrumbean, absolutely spot on, both the video clip and extract from Yahoo are just what were needed.

Let's face it, there is only so much you can teach/show anybody via a computer.

Many thanks for your time. :)

Clock

[tantrumbean]

I notice there's a video on the site that tells you "How To become a sperm donor" :eek:

Oh no! Never saw that! Will have to go back and see what else there is! :D