I'm a Gear Idiot

[Running Mommy]

Well I'm certainly no expert, but I'll try to give you the advice that I've heard, tried, and works for me....
When going up hill you want to "spin" as easily as possible, never try to mash a big gear on the hills, it will only blow out your legs. I don't think it's too good on the knees either.
What I do is gear down to an easier gear when I approach a hill to start the spin, then gradually shift to an easier cog as the hill starts getting steaper. This takes practice though, as you want to shift right before you really need to. BTW- that means shifting towards your bigger cogs in the back- towards the wheel. Then as I crest the hill I start reversing the process. If for some reason I have moved to my middle chain ring on the front, I will pop it back to my big chain ring once I crest the hill and start powering down the back side.
Don't be afraid of your big chain ring, on the flats and downhills your speed will greatly increase if you are in the big ring up front. I stayed in my middle ring for a long time thinking I wasn't a good enough cyclist to be in my big ring. Now I'm almost always in it.
As for the granny gear... That is your smallest ring up front. that is for really steep hills. I haven't used mine in years, so either I don't ride really big hills, or I've gotten used to suffering in the middle ring. I'm actually thinking of swapping mine out for a double.
And no, I'm not some super hardcore cyclist!! I'm an average rider, ride about 15-16 mph average. I'm also about 30lbs overwight and trying to get rid of it before my first IM next april. Since I'm training for the IM I'm on my bike ALOT these days, so I've just kind of found what works for me. So I guess my advice would be to not be afraid to play around w/ the gears and find what works for you.
Oh- and that last question about shifting patterns I think? I think what people are telling you is to be careful so your chain doesn't cross. When that happens it either drops off or jams. But I've never had that problem. I think I dropped a chain when I was a brand newbie. Actually come to think about it I was doing my first tri! WOW! I was a newbie. But I haven't had a problem since. Generally you wouldn't have a reason to shift into those patterns anyway.
Hope this loooonng winded reply helps!
Whatever you do- keep riding!
denise
Oh and one last thing.. You are NOT an Idiot!! We all have to start somewhere! Even though I've been riding for awhile I still have questions. Thats what we are here for.