Using Your Gears Properly

Cycling Weekly

Gears are essential for all bike riders, but are you using them properly? In this video we show you how to avoid cross chaining, how to prepare for steep hills, what the correct cadence is and all the parts that make up a groupset on your bicycle.

Transcript

00:00 Our gears are one of the most crucial components on our bike. Making sure they're running efficiently

00:04 is not only key for our enjoyment but also for the lifetime of the bike itself. Riding in the

00:09 wrong gear can also be really inefficient for our riding performance which is probably the

00:12 most important thing of all. So here's our top five tips for getting the most out of your gears.

00:18 [Music]

00:30 First of all let's talk about the basics of gears and you have two options when you do this. You

00:34 can make large changes which revolve around the front two chain rings or smaller changes

00:39 which involve the rear cassette. Your front cassette can come in many different types;

00:43 a standard, a compact or a semi-compact which is a mix of the two. The front chain rings are adjusted

00:50 by using the left brake lever. These shift the chain onto the smaller chainring for uphill or

00:55 particularly steep sections and back onto the big chainring for downhill and flat efforts.

01:00 The right brake lever controls the rear cassette however shifting it onto the larger ring makes the

01:05 pedalling effort easier and the smaller ring harder but this allows you to put out more torque

01:10 and consequently more speed. Every bike may change gear slightly differently depending on the brand

01:16 but you'll get used to this after just a few rides and giving the gears a go by clicking

01:20 through the systems. Making sure that your front chainring and your rear cassette are working in

01:31 perfect harmony is key to cycling performance. It's also really important for the lifetime of

01:36 your bike that you don't cross chain. This can happen in two ways; when the small chainring on

01:41 the front and the smallest sprocket on the back are both in use at the same time or conversely

01:46 when the big chainring on the front and the biggest sprocket on the back are both in gear

01:50 when you are pedalling. This can both stretch the chain and also cause mechanical damage

01:56 meaning more replacement parts and more cost. As a rule of thumb use the rear cassette to make

02:01 small gear changes and use the front chainring once you're starting to reach the extreme ends

02:06 of the cassette. This can be personal preference but a lot of riders do pedal a cadence that isn't

02:16 suited to their ability or the terrain they're riding on. Getting on top of your cadence will

02:21 mean you aren't chugging uphill on the big ring at 40 rpm or spinning yourself out in the small

02:26 ring going downhill at 120 rpm. As I mentioned cadence can be a very personal thing but aiming

02:33 for 80 to 95 rpm when riding on a flat road is a good cadence to aim for.

02:38 Gears are a great way to affect your pedalling rate but making sure you're aware of what's up

02:49 the road ahead is crucial for selecting the correct gear at that moment in time.

02:53 Making sure you are aware of any potential nasty ramps up the road will give you the time to shift

02:59 down a few gears or onto the small chainring. This will ensure you don't come to a grinding halt.

03:04 Changing gear before you are on the climb is far easier for you and your bike whereas changing on

03:10 the climb itself puts a lot of strain on the bike mechanism as well as your momentum going up the

03:14 climb as well. Clicking through the gears one at a time also means you're less likely to have a

03:19 mechanical. Whether this is by dropping the chain or jamming the gears all together if you try to

03:24 make a lot of gear changes all at once. Being aware of your gears isn't just for climbs and

03:35 descents. When riding within towns and cities it is crucial to be aware of when you may have to

03:40 come to a stop and push off again. Always be aware that pushing a massive gear moving away

03:45 from traffic light or a junction is going to be incredibly hard work and almost resemble a track

03:51 start. Instead click through the gears before you come to a stop to a more manageable gear.

03:57 This means you can move away far more gently. Those are our top tips for getting the most out

04:03 of your gears and do be sure to practice in a quiet area before you head out and try it out

04:07 on the open road. Thank you for watching and do let us know in the comments section if you have

04:12 any top tips for changing gears and don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the Cycling

04:17 Weekly YouTube channel. Until next time, we'll see you then.

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