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

00:00Our gears are one of the most crucial components on our bike.

00:02Making sure they're running efficiently is not only key for our enjoyment,

00:06but also for the lifetime of the bike itself.

00:08Riding in the wrong gear can also be really inefficient for our rider performance,

00:12which is probably the most important thing of all.

00:14So here's our top 5 tips for getting the most out of your gears.

00:31First of all, let's talk about the basics of gears.

00:33You have two options when you do this.

00:35You can make large changes, which revolve around the front two chainrings,

00:38or smaller changes, which involve the rear cassette.

00:41Your front cassette can come in many different types.

00:44A standard, a compact, or a semi-compact, which is a mix of the two.

00:49The front chainrings are adjusted by using the left brake lever.

00:52These shift the chain onto the smaller chainring for uphill or particularly steep sections,

00:57and back onto the big chainring for downhill and flat efforts.

01:00The right brake lever controls the rear cassette.

01:03However, shifting it onto the larger ring makes the pedalling effort easier,

01:07and the smaller ring harder.

01:09But this allows you to put out more torque and consequently more speed.

01:13Every bike may change gears slightly differently, depending on the brand.

01:17But you'll get used to this after just a few rides,

01:19and giving the gears a go by clicking through the systems.

01:27Making sure that your front chainring and your rear cassette are working in perfect harmony

01:32is key to cycling performance.

01:34It's also really important for the lifetime of your bike that you don't cross-chain.

01:38This can happen in two ways.

01:40When the small chainring on the front and the smallest sprocket on the back

01:43are both in use at the same time.

01:46Or conversely, when the big chainring on the front and the biggest sprocket on the back

01:50are both in gear when you are pedalling.

01:52This can both stretch the chain and also cause mechanical damage,

01:56meaning more replacement parts and more cost.

01:59As a rule of thumb, use the rear cassette to make small gear changes.

02:03Use the front chainring once you're starting to reach the extreme ends of the cassette.

02:13This can be personal preference, but a lot of riders do pedal a cadence

02:16that isn't suited to their ability or the terrain they're riding on.

02:20Getting on top of your cadence will mean you aren't chugging uphill on the big ring at 40 rpm,

02:25or spinning yourself out on the small ring going downhill at 120 rpm.

02:30As I mentioned, cadence can be a very personal thing,

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

02:45Gears are a great way to affect your pedalling rate,

02:47but making sure you're aware of what's up the road ahead

02:50is crucial for selecting the correct gear at that moment in time.

02:54Making sure you are aware of any potential nasty ramps up the road

02:58will give you the time to shift down a few gears or onto the small chainring.

03:02This will ensure you don't come to a grinding halt.

03:05Changing gear before you are on the climb is far easier for you and your bike,

03:09whereas changing on the climb itself puts a lot of strain on the bike mechanism

03:13as well as your momentum going up the climb as well.

03:16Clicking through the gears one at a time also means you're less likely to have a mechanical.

03:20Whether this is by dropping the chain or jamming the gears altogether,

03:24you try to make a lot of gear changes all at once.

03:32Being aware of your gears isn't just for climbs and descents.

03:36When riding within towns and cities,

03:38it is crucial to be aware of when you may have to come to a stop and push off again.

03:43Always be aware that pushing a massive gear moving away from traffic light or a junction

03:47is going to be incredibly hard work and almost resemble a track start.

03:52Instead, click through the gears before you come to a stop to a more manageable gear.

03:57This means you can move away far more gently.

04:01Those are our top tips for getting the most out of your gears

04:04and do be sure to practice in a quiet area before you head out and try it out on the open road.

04:09Thank you for watching and do let us know in the comments section

04:12if you have any top tips for changing gears.

04:15And don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel.

04:19Until next time, we'll see you then.

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