Gears

[Irulan]

I don't look at where I am. I just shift to make it easier or harder for my legs and the upcoming conditions.

Same here. None of my mountain bikes have ever had numbers, just hatch marks. You just have to mentally train yourself to know which way to go to go up or down a gear. This is fine until you get a bike that is reverse configured. I've had to retrail my brain since my newest bike has, I think SRAM instead of Shimano.