Road Bike Gear Changing Tips

Gear systems on bicycles range from single speed one gear through various hub gear systems to the most popular of all.

Road bike gear changing tips. Derailleurs are the usual gear setup on road bikes but. Geared bikes have a front derailleur which allows you to shift between the large and small chainrings sometimes with a middle option on a triple. Changing gear on your bike is one of the essential cycling skills to master whether you ride a mountain bike a road bike or a commuter bike in fact pretty much any bike you ll have gears. Road bike wheels buyer s guide videos a high gear sometimes referred to by cyclists as a big gear is optimal when descending or riding at high speeds.

The key thing to know for shifting a road bike is that you have to simultaneously turn the pedals with your feet and move the shift lever in order to change gears. Most modern road bikes have the gear shifters integrated into the brakes so brake on the left hand side well this actually shifts the front mech changing the big ring down into the small ring. The gear changing mechanism on a bicycle has changed quite a bit over the past 30 years or so but these days all of your shifting is typically done from the same levers that control your braking. The gears on your bike are there to make your life easier you can shift down when the hills ramp up and crank them higher for speedier riding when you get a flat stretch of road.