Road Bike Gear Tutorial

How to examine your current gearing and decide on what changes if any you would like.

Road bike gear tutorial. Play around with the gears. All road bike helmets sold in the u s. Consult your bike shop at the time of purchase on how yours work or simply jump on your bike make sure to pedal and push your shifters to get a sense of how they function. Just fell off my bike new rider at 51 i am trying to learn the gears and have just read your article which is brilliant but i think i m a bit dim or slow but can i just ask you so on flat road i quite like gear left 2 and 5 or 6 right and then if going uphill should i change to left 1 and right 4 and then going downhill left 3 right 6 sorry still bit confused i have a horrible.

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. In keeping with tradition the nominal wheel diameter used for road bike gear inches calculations is 27in. Must meet specific safety standards. A key tip is change gear before it s to late e g if you have to change from the big chainring to the small chainring when grinding to a halt on a climb it can go horribly wrong and is to late.

For one revolution you count one foot doing a full revolution. Accuracy to a single inch is all that s needed so they re rounded. Before you begin this lesson you need to count the teeth on each gear both front and rear on your bike. Gearing 101 tutorial.

A good way to understand your cadence and get the right gear on your bike is to find a nice quiet bit of road and practice riding at different cadences. To calculate a gear in inches you multiply the raw gear ratio by the wheel diameter. Some road bike beginners choose a hybrid bike which in design is a compromise between mountain and road bikes and usually has flat bars and a geometry that keeps the rider in a more upright position. Factors that make your ride more comfortable include ventilation absorbent pads for moisture control an adjustment dial to tighten or loosen the cradle that holds the helmet to your head and an easily adjustable chin strap.

Top tips for finding the right gear when cycling. 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. Split it up and do pieces as your schedule allows. Put your bike in an easier gear and keep going.

By rox heath.