Road Bike Gear Shifting Tips

So if both the gear indicators show 1 then you are in the easiest gear the bike offers.

Road bike gear shifting tips. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you shift. 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. They are the mechanical wonders that will allow you to accelerate to wind whistling speed along flat smooth roads or power your way up a steep rocky climb without bursting a lung. Even with advances in technology including electronic shifting deciding when and how to shift is still an important aspect of performance.

When upshifting shift only one cog at a time and wait until you feel spun out of that gear before shifting again. If the left shifter is at 3 and the right is at 8 then you are in the hardest gear on the bike. The best way to get a hang of what your gears feel like is to take your bike to a safe place away from traffic like an empty parking lot and shift through all the gears in the front and rear to. 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.

It s the bike i rode in the 1985 giro d italia complete with a 53 42 crankset 12 23 freewheel and friction downtube shifters. On the left shifter you will see numbers to indicate which gear you are in 1 2 or 3. Learn more about shifting. 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.

Shift the chain between the front chainrings for big changes then use the rear cogs to fine tune your gear setting. Use one shifter at a time. Basic shifting tips. Be a gear guru on your bike.

The right shifter will always operate the rear derailleur shifting between as many as 11 cogs on the rear wheel. Back then shifting gears was a major component of strategy.