Shifting without gear indicators

[Catrin]

My new Jamis is a 10-speed triple without gear indicators, SRAM triggers. I've never ridden a bike without indicators and while I am sure I will learn it I must admit on my little hilly ride yesterday I had no idea where I was on the rear cassette.

Thankfully I was on the middle chain and actually never had a need to move the front up or down, outside of experimenting to see how it felt. That bike shifts like butter - but how is there a tip about how I can keep track of my small gear?

[Veronica]

The only bike I have ridden with gear indicators is our old tandem. I just go by feel and when I try to shift down and can't - I know I just need to suck it up and keep pedaling.

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

On my previous bike I couldn't see my rear cassette...due to my position and the bike's geometry. On my current bike I can see the rear cassette perfectly.

So I had to kind of learn blindly, too. Mostly I got to be familiar with my sweet spots and learned to feel when I was cross-chaining and needing to move up or down on the front rings.

[Roadtrip]

No trick here and if you find one I sure would like to know! Two of my three bikes have shifters without indicators. I think it's just feel thing really.

Shannon

[zoom-zoom]

when I try to shift down and can't - I know I just need to suck it up and keep pedaling.

That, too!

[Catrin]

Makes sense, guess that I am just spoiled :) I do not find it intimating, but a year ago I probably would have :o

[kmehrzad]

I tend to look down occasionally and get an idea of where I am.

[nscrbug]

I've never ridden a bike WITH shift indicators...sure sounds cool, though! I go by feel, like everyone else. Can't tell ya how many times I thought I had one more gear to shift down into, only to discover that I was out of gears. Yup...that's when you just HTFU and keep pedaling. :o

[Mr. Bloom]

I think indicators can be added at the LBS.

[jessmarimba]

My new bike doesn't have them either. I'll +1 Veronica's comment.

But it is an awfully happy feeling sometimes to get off the bike and realize you were in a harder gear than you thought and still felt great!

[emily_in_nc]

I have never had shift indicators until I got a mtb. And I never remembered to even use them since I wasn't used to 'em!

I just kinda glance back and down (between my legs, I guess) if I have any curiosity about which gear I'm in in back. But normally I go by feel, and with my bar-end shifters, by the position they are in (another nice advantage of barcons!)

[Chicken Little]

I agree with most people here. I don't use the indicators. Once in a while I might glance down, but mostly it's to trim.

[DarcyInOregon]

Like everyone said, it is by feel. It helps to ride as diverse terrain as possible for your region and you get the feel for where to be for what type of hill or continuous climb or false flat or headwind you are pedaling. You are riding well if you are shifting and asking questions about shifting. Like others said, it is an oh oh moment when you are in the lowest cog possible and there is still a lot of extremely steep grade stretching out before you, and so you want to bike enough terrain to figure out what makes an oh oh moment for you because that is when it is critical. The rest of it, you can shift up and down based on your cadence and it only takes a few rides before it is all automatic for you.

[maillotpois]

What does a gear indicator look like?

[laura*]

I think indicators can be added at the LBS.

Not on the new high end SRAM triggers. :(

Hmmm - maybe it is possible to mount some "inline" indicators into the shift cables.

[crazycanuck]

I just go by feel..I have an inkling of what gear i'm in on the mtb when i'm on it. When I start out, i'm in X gear then i move up or down blah blah blah depending on the terrain..

Aren't you practicing in some park that's flat? Why not just stop and look at your rear cassette and have a think...

Don't make it so difficult.


I'll tell ya one thing..we have a race this weekend & it's uphill...i'll be in low gear...trying not to die...

[Becky]

I just glance down or back as needed. Mostly, I go by feel...

[OakLeaf]

What does a gear indicator look like?

For Shimano brifters, the flight deck computers have them:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41IhkPVSKAL._SS500_.jpg

For grip shifters, they can be stamped and painted on the clamp section:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ahl7dQGTL._SS500_.jpg

Others?


Like most everyone else I go by feel ... but I probably don't pay as much attention as I ought to, because there are times I'm cross-chaining and don't realize I'm still in the big ring until I hear the noise of the chain complaining :rolleyes:, and it can't be good for the shifter cable to keep trying to shift down when I'm already in my lowest gear. I do look down occasionally to see where I am.

[Crankin]

I did start riding on a hard tail mtb that had them, but it didn't take more than a few rides on a road bike to get the "learn by feel" thing. I do occasionally look down, and that's usually when I am in trouble!

[Catrin]

Thanks everyone, I wasn't sure if this was common or not as all of my bikes until this one has them. I still wish I could switch the triggers on my mtb to grips, but SRAM apparently is not making 10-speed grips...I REALLY like the micro-indexing on my left grip on the Gunnar.

I shift the rear by feel anyway, I mainly use the indicators on my other bikes to make certain I am in hard enough a gear when I move to the granny in front that I won't suddenly feel like I am free-wheeling. I can listen to see if I am cross-chaining until I get used to this. It is just really odd to look down and not see those indicators :o

[maillotpois]

Ah - thanks, Oak. Someone mentioned I probably have them on my MTB but it doesn't get ridden unless I am on vacation. :rolleyes:

I go by feel/sound. Campy allows for small adjustments to the front derailleur and you just learn the sounds to know which way to adjust.

[sundial]

I have a gear indicator on my mtb and I don't look at it. :o I just go by feel and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised to find that I was in a harder gear when I finished the ride.

[Catrin]

A
I go by feel/sound. Campy allows for small adjustments to the front derailleur and you just learn the sounds to know which way to adjust.

My LHT has this, the Shimano triggers allow me to adjust the trim a bit on the FD but not much. I really like how the front X0 grip shifter on my Gunnar is micro-indexed so I have a lot more room for trim. Have I mentioned I REALLY like those grips?

I actually called SRAM this morning to find out if there are plans to make grips available for 10-speed. I guess they had decided not to do that, but they have had so many direct requests from consumers and bike stores that the customer service rep things that they will eventually be available :) The triggers are sweet, even with MY thumbs/hands, but I like the grips even better :)

[hulagirl]

When I got my first bike without indicators I was all in a panic. After about 6 months, I don't want to ever ride with indicators again. I find that you (general) spend wayyyy too much time trying to figure out where you are in gear, if it's right, oh no...should you shift? And not enough time looking where you are going and around in general.

Without indicators, I ride mostly by sound. And feel of course. But I can hear it when I'm getting to the cross-chain fine line of doom. And I can feel it on the legs when things are too hard or too easy. Best thing is I keep my eyes on the road and don't spend all that much time really caring what gear I'm in, just as long as I'm not ready to pass out or it's getting noisy.

[ladyicon]

I try to stay in the middle gear in the back and just use the 2 front rings. Yeah right, I usually throw that out the window when hill climbing and I definately know when I am out of gears UGH

[laura*]

I actually called SRAM this morning to find out if there are plans to make grips available for 10-speed. I guess they had decided not to do that, but they have had so many direct requests from consumers and bike stores that the customer service rep things that they will eventually be available :)

There might be a technical reason why 10 speed twist shifters might never be available: With twist shifters, the cable needs to be pulled in a circle with a diameter greater than the handlebar diameter. A decent angular separation between each gear might mean significant cable pull. I think this (and not precision shifting) is why SRAM went with their 1:1 derailleur ratio - and why Shimano, sticking to their 2:1 ratio, has never offered twist shifters.

SRAM and Shimano are both using a new different cable pull ratios for their 10 speed MTB derailleurs. Rumors place them somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1. It could be that neither brand will work nicely with twist shifters.

[chryss]

There might be a technical reason why 10 speed twist shifters might never be available: With twist shifters, the cable needs to be pulled in a circle with a diameter greater than the handlebar diameter. A decent angular separation between each gear might mean significant cable pull. I think this (and not precision shifting) is why SRAM went with their 1:1 derailleur ratio - and why Shimano, sticking to their 2:1 ratio, has never offered twist shifters.

You clearly know a lot more about this than I will in a good while, but as a minor point, the Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub gear comes with a Shimano twist shifter. This is likely irrelevant as I imagine cable pull for hub gearing is a different animal to a derailleur.

[Catrin]

My LBS thinks that SRAM wants to drop grip shifters since most people seem to want triggers instead. Apparently SRAM has made comments about how loud the few grip shifter die-hard fans are - and I can certainly understand that. I LOVE them, as smooth as the SRAM X9 triggers are, the X0 grips are better and I really like them.

[Mr. Bloom]

Not on the new high end SRAM triggers. :(

Hmmm - maybe it is possible to mount some "inline" indicators into the shift cables.

Mine is on the cable, rear only. The LBS offered to put one on the rear if I wanted.

[Catrin]

I am going to ask them to put an X0 grip for the front shifter - I really like those so much better - even though the triggers are fine - I would think that there wouldn't be any issues with that. I will not do this right away - but it can't be that expensive outside of labor.

[featuretile]

Catrin,
I put a gear indicator on my Ruby after seeing one on another bike.
Dura-Ace 10-Speed Inline gear indicator, rear
I bought it online here, and brought it to my LBS. I like it. It goes on the right shift cable.
http://www.bikeparts.com/search_results.asp?ID=BPC307832

[Miranda]

+1 for reply on Shimano Flight Deck, but that doesn't help you w SRAM obviously.

I don't have that now on any of my bikes.

For my mtb, when I have to think more quickly about shifting on the trail, I just made up a word relation to know which way to shift. Things in biking are backwards I think:rolleyes: lol.

OK, my words I use on the mtb are: "the 'big easy'... as something in like that old movie... means easier / smaller ring gear to turn... so use big lever to make it easy". Obviously the reverse, the smaller sized lever makes it harder / bigger gear ring to turn. Seems like big lever should equal big gear?!

Always leads me to believe gearing was invented by a dyslexic. Which I'm slightly that way too. Still gotta have the word trick lol.

p.s. and yes, by feel, also you can tell by the amount of grease or dirt on that gear ring that is your favorite, plus the wear on the teeth.

[zoom-zoom]

OK, my words I use on the mtb are: "the 'big easy'... as something in like that old movie... means easier / smaller ring gear to turn... so use big lever to make it easy". Obviously the reverse, the smaller sized lever makes it harder / bigger gear ring to turn. Seems like big lever should equal big gear?!

Always leads me to believe gearing was invented by a dyslexic. Which I'm slightly that way too.

I HATED this about Shimano...which is why I went for a bike with SRAM for my 2nd road bike. I won't go back.