how often do you ride in your big ring?

[SnappyPix]

I only have a double, so don't have a lot of choice!
To be honest, unless I'm on a long stretch of flat, or a rising hill, I'm always swopping and changing between the two chainrings.
I used to be of the opinion that I worked through all the gears of one chainring before moving onto the next!
No, no, no, no, no!
My constant twiddling works great for me, because now I rely solely on cadence, speed and momentum - I go by how it feels, rather than what I think I should be in.
Switching from one to the other and back again allows me to get a much better ratio of gears (I have 18 instead of 9!), keep my cadence steady and achieve a much smoother transition up and down the gears.

I know it's slightly different for a triple because the gearing ratio is much lower - but for me the principle is the same (my hybrid/commuter is a triple).

[KSH]

I have 3 rings in the "front".

My granny gear... I just figured out how to get into that... 2 months ago. I have owned the bike for 10 months.

My middle gear... is where I use to stay 100% of the time.

As I have gotten stronger and faster though, I have been in the big ring a lot more. I never though I would have a reason to be there... but now it works for me... and gets me going really fast (and I am spinning, not mashing!)

In due time... you will be in the big ring.

NOTE: I always average 90-110 cadence no matter what ring I am in.

[runnergirl]

I have a double...

If I'm riding alone, unless I'm doing a sprints workout, I'm almost always in the small chain ring. Group rides, I'd say small chain ring 30%, big ring 70%. Alone I usually can't push the big ring over 85 rpm, but on group rides I've gotten up to 115 rpm in the big ring...I gauge mainly by if I can maintain a decent cadence more than anything.

[tatormc]

Everyone has a different riding style. I have a double and most of the time in the small ring. I spin like crazy going up hill cause I can't stand to be in a big gear and my thighs on fire. I don't have much of a pain threshold! But there is a lady I ride with that's similar to me in weight and size and she is always in her big gear. We did a 45 mile organized ride and she is just mashing up the hills in her big gear. I think she's crazy but as I said everyone has a different riding style.

[skibum]

I have a double too. I'd guess that I'm in the big ring about half of the time. It really depends on the terrain. I tend to use my cadence to dictate what gear I'm in. For flats/rollers, I aim for 90-95. I can usually do that in the big ring. For climbs, I'm usually in the small ring maintaining a cadence in the 70s. Well, unless the climb is long & steep and I run out of gears. Then, I go with the cadence that allows me to maintain forward momentum

I always shift into the big ring as I come into a downhill. That way you can carry the speed of your descent into whatever comes up next.

[Grog]

Nearly never. I have a triple and use mostly the middle ring (40), excepted for downhills and tailwinds. Oh yeah I also use the big ring when I'm drafting in a paceline.

I'd rather spin 110 rpm than 80 so... The big gear is not really an option for me most of the time.

[ACG]

I have 3 rings. I used to have a tendency to use the big ring when I had a mountain bike (I only rode the bike on the road). Now with my road bike I have found that I use it less and less. I normally end my ride on the big ring and finish it on the big ring. The middle ring is the one I am now on 80% of the time.