Road Bike Gear Shifter Position
The levers aren t really mounted too low notice the v shape between the bars and brake hood but the bars are rotated down and these bars also have a lot of rampdown which places the hoods lower than the top.
Road bike gear shifter position. A road bike shifter is the key mechanism for allowing on the move gear changes this is extremely important when riding varying gradients. For the front chainrings bigger chainrings equal a harder gear. Needless to say i ride a lot of old road bikes. Push the shift lever behind the brake lever inboard sweeping left to right to shift up into a larger chainring a larger harder gear.
Here s a picture of how not to do it. Assuming the bike fits you you should ultimately be able to use the shifters from nearly any position. Sit on the bike and grasp the bar in the drops the lowest position available on the handlebar. The position of your bike s brake levers shifters and handlebar is critical both for comfort and for control.
Rotate the bars up and or back until you find a position where the drops are most comfortable and usable. Cw resident mechanic al vines shows you how to position your shifters correctly on your road bike. Road bike shifters have standard configurations. The global cycling network puts you in the centre of the action.
You will quickly gain the control to shift either from various hand positions on your road bars. Left hand shifter controls front shifting. The number 1 corresponds to the little ring 2 is the middle ring and 3 is the big ring. On the left shifter you will see numbers to indicate which gear you are in 1 2 or 3.
Understanding the basics about road bike shifters goes a long way to keep you moving at a steady pace up hills and to find that comfortable gear to grind out long miles on flat ground. If the left shifter is at 3 and the right is at 8 then you are in the hardest gear on the bike. Shifters are indexed to offer precise shifting so it eliminates gears slipping or being misaligned. Why are they good.
Shimano brake hoods create a longer reach than campy or sram so you probably don t want to add even more by placing the shifter low on the bars. Road bike shifters explained. Want to ride in the most efficient comfortable position possible. Left shifter front gears.
Giving no regard to the position of the shifters and reach to the brake levers these will be adjusted later.