Tips - Gear Shifting

Once you've mastered the basics of shifting there are a couple more things to remember that will help you make changing your gears go even more smoothly.

Anticipate shifts: It is very difficult to change gears (and bad for your bike) when you are pushing the pedals very hard. So get in the habit of downshifting into an easier gear as you come to a stop or begin the approach to a big hill.

Don't try to shift when you are stopped: Bikes with traditional gearing are designed to be shifted when the pedals are moving, so don't try to shift when you are stopped. It's bad for the bike to shift when the pedals are not turning, and so you want to remember this and anticipate your stops, shifting to the right gear that you want to be in starting out before you actually stop.

Avoid cross-chaining: It's hard on your chain and your sprockets to be at extreme angles. To avoid this, don't shift your bike to where it's on the littlest ring in the front and smallest gear in the back, or vice-versa, on the large ring in both front and back. That puts the chain on opposite extreme ends of the spectrum and increases chain wear and tear.

The Big/Big Combo - A Bad Idea!

This one shows how stretched the rear derailleur is when riding in the big/big combo

(Big chainring and big rear cog.)

The Little/Little Combo - Another Bad Idea!

And this shows the rear derailleur doubled-back on itself because there is too much slack in the chain, caused by riding in the little/little combo:

(Small chainring and smallest rear cog.)

The Moral of the Story - Do Not Cross Chain!