Subtitles: Portuguese (Brazil)
Most bikes these days come with ‘21 speeds’. However, this doesn’t mean you have 21 useable gears. Actually, on a 21 speed system it’s closer to 13. A lot of people get confused by all of the gear combinations available. I myself didn’t understand it when I first started using a multi-speed bike, so today we’ll learn how to use your gears most effectively.
It’s very important not to shift under pressure, as this will cause shift problems and damage your drivetrain. If you’re going uphill and you need a lower gear, keep pedaling, but ease off and pedal lightly while you shift.
Most systems have three gears on the front, which are controlled by your left shifter. The rear gear cluster usually has 7 gears, with some systems having 8 or 9. Not to worry, the concepts here are the same.
For most everday riding, you’ll want to keep your chain on the middle ring on the front, or number 2 on your left shifter. This allows you to use the full range of rear gears. Number 1 on your right shifter is the easiest gear for climbing hills, as it puts your chain on the largest rear sprocket. Number 7 on your right shifter is the hardest gear for going really fast, and it puts your chain on the smallest rear sprocket.
I find it helps to think of numbers 1 and 3 on your left shifter as options for extreme circumstances.
If you’re climbing a really tough hill and your left 2 and right 1 combination aren’t easy enough, you can shift your front derailleur to number 1 which drops the chain down to the smallest front chainring. While you’re in the smallest front gear you can shift the rear gears between 1 and 3 for a finer range adjustment, but you should always shift the front back to 2, or the middle chainring before using gears 4-7 on the rear.
If you’re going really fast and need a harder gear, and your left 2 and right 7 combination isn’t fast enough, you can shift your front derailleur to number 3 which pulls the chain up to the largest front chainring. While you’re in the largest front chainring you can shift the rear gears between 5 and 7 for a finer range adjustment, but always shift the front back to 2, or the middle chainring before using gears 1-4 on the rear.
Never use the full range of rear gears when you’re in either the small or large front sprockets (number 1 or 3 on the front shifter). This causes too great an angle in your chain line, which can cause noise and shifting problems.
Loading … Loading …
Subscribe to the RSS Feed
This series gets better and better every day. I was just riding my new road bike home yesterday thinking about these issues and wondering whether I was doing something wrong or the gears need to be tuned up again or what. Thanks for the tips. Makes perfect sense.
cool alex..tnx..
my bike has only 18 speed..
but i know it’ll works..
tnx a lot..
Very good.
Clear and to the point! With educational videos like this you are helping cyclists have a smoother and easier ride. I like watching these clips, they are awesome.
Thanks.
Great tutorial, I wish I could find it sooner. You have backed up every single conclusion to which I arrived after empirical tests.
Awesome! When from a BMX bike from when I was younger, to a geared bike for getting to work, and I just didn’t have the guts to ask anyone such “obvious” questions.
Thanks!
Sidenote: the video seems to cut off before it’s over.
Thanks Tony, glad to hear you found it useful. And thanks for letting me know about the playback problem, I’ve asked the support staff about it and they are working on a fix.
Sure thing! I’ve noticed several of them have that weird cut-off.
Again, thanks so much for this site. The productions values are pretty darn good for a free site (or even a pay site really) and that’s coming from a guy who works in the post industry. Thanks for being so willing to spend time and money to help out folks for free.
I want to comment on how helpful this video was. I just started cycling every day, and though I’ve been riding for years, I’ve never known this about gear shifting. It’s great to know!
I’m certainly checking out the rest of your site. Keep up the great work.
This was very helpful, I am getting a new bike and I want to maintain it much better then my old bike, knowing simple things like how to use my gears properly is something I’ve always wanted to know.
This was great! I just got a new bike with 21 speeds and had no clue what to use to go up hill….besides pushing it and walking along the side!
Thanks for the help!
Just exactly what I was looking for… thanks for such helpful info! Straight to the point.
So much better than the instruction book/sheet, keep up the good work.
Dear tutor, thanks for a great site - I’m re-discovering the bicycle and age 57….. and your site is a fantastic resource.
David Cox
What do I have to do when I have 2X8 system?
With a 2×8 system, you could probably use all of your rear sprockets when you’re in the smallest front chainring, and the smallest 4-5 rear sprockets when you’re in the largest front chainring.
Thank you so much! Your explanation was easy to understand and apply.
Holy cow! This tutorial was EXACTLY what I needed! Thanks for educating this beginner bicyclist.
Another great tutorial. Thanks a lot for the help.
Great site and tutorials. The front and rear derailleur have lost their “mysticism” and I understand the concept better.