Am I the only one who forgets gears?

[uforgot]

I'm curious as to what you exactly mean by 6 gears. Do you have 2x3? i.e. 2 rings on the front and 3 on the back. Or maybe 1x6?

Or something else. Just checking to get us all on the same page here.

Twice I have seen bikes advertised on Craigslist that claim to be 13 speeds. Not sure how they calculated that!

[mimitabby]

i often discover i am on the big chain ring right before i have to climb up a hill.
i look. a lot.
and sometimes I throw my chain because i did NOT look.

welcome to TE, i'm a Seattle girl too. (well, not really a girl...i was one half a century ago)

[Yen]

Twice I have seen bikes advertised on Craigslist that claim to be 13 speeds. Not sure how they calculated that!

LOL, good point!

[Melalvai]

Twice I have seen bikes advertised on Craigslist that claim to be 13 speeds. Not sure how they calculated that!

Maybe it's 15 speed, but you don't want to cross-chain, so you don't use the extreme smalls together or the extreme bigs together. Then you've got 4+5+4 = 13.

[Aggie_Ama]

Another clueless one but not a Noob! I just go on feel, when the legs scream I move to a easier one and if I am spinning fast I move to a harder feeling one.

When I am climbing a hill I usually know when I hit my granny gear, otherwise no clue. I do normally know what chain ring am in and without thinking move it back to the middle before switching.

And yes there are people who can tell you what gear they were in, I just don't care to process that.

[Melalvai]

I try to keep track of which front gear I'm in, so I don't accidentally go into the extreme crossover (biggest front with biggest rear, or smallest front with smallest rear). At night that gets tricky. I have a twist shifter and the numbers are worn off so in the dark I can't tell at all. So what I do if I forget which front chainring I'm using, is try to shift down without pedalling, and then shift back. If I was in the smallest, then I can't shift down at all.

[teawoman]

Nope. I just started road biking last year and quit last fall with the bad weather. When i got on my trainer a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't remember which hand changed what and what to do to make the biking harder or easier.

[Zen]

When i got on my trainer a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't remember which hand changed what and what to do to make the biking harder or easier.

Right is
Rear
RRRRRR

[Di bear]

My philosophy: if I'm pedaling slowly because it's difficult, I shift to an easier gear. I like to keep my rpm's at about 90 rpm. If I'm pedaling really fast and I feel I need more resistance, I shift to a more difficult gear.

I start in a harder gear when prepping to go up a hill, and I shift into the next easier gear when my pedaling is in danger of slowing down due to difficulty.

Just do what you need to do.

[RolliePollie]

Sometimes I have a vague idea of what gear I'm in, and sometimes I have no clue. I always know which chain ring I'm in though. I have a triple and I use all three on the terrain around here. I try to prepare ahead of time by changing rings if I know there's a big hill ahead. That way, I'm not shifting when I'm pedalling with lots of force. I hate the clangs and bangs that happen when I shift with the chain under too much tension. And I know it's hard on my bike. It took me a while to figure out shifting and to stop dropping my chain constantly. That said, on my next ride I'll probably drop my chain.

The one thing I always know is that when I'm on a really steep hill and I need one more gear, it's never going to be there! I try and try to shift, but nothing happens

[SlowButSteady]

I have to look.

And then I swerve and almost fall down.

[wackyjacky1]

I have to look.

And then I swerve and almost fall down.

LMAO! Yup, been there.

[Trek420]

I have to look.

And then I swerve and almost fall down.

I tried to memorize and keep track but the funny thing is when I can't breath I can't think either Used to have Flightdeck which tells what gear and cadence you're in. Now I have Campy and Flightdeck's not compatible with Campy Campy Ergobrain is $$$$$$.

I don't miss knowing cadence, that my knees tell me; 90+ bpm - happy knee. Less = grinding to powder

My LBS found a little gizmo that's spliced into the cable on my bar. It tells me rear deraileur gear. I can see if I have another gear or if I gotta just "dig deep" or fall over.

Front I either should know or look down.

[Melalvai]

I got new chainrings yesterday, and new trigger shifters. I had grip shifters. I LOVE my new granny gear. The big gear is a lot smaller than the old big one, but I don't care, because I don't need help getting DOWN a hill!

This evening I missed my old stuff for a moment, just because I was tired of having to THINK about what I was doing. But I'm sure after a few days I'll be as competent at these triggers--and the brakes--as I ever was with the grip shifters.

[Starfish]

Used to have Flightdeck which tells what gear and cadence you're in.

My stuff is flightdeck compatible, but I have never had it. Would be interested in thoughts on this...feel free to PM if this is a hijack!

I think it is related to this thread...