New Cyclist & Changing Gears

[JayEIndiana]

I'm 62 yo and until very recently (3 weeks ago) hadn't ridden a bicycle since a three speed was the latest technology (45 year ago). I have started cycling as a means of getting more exercise. I ride in the country in So Indiana and we have plenty of hills, not big hills but big enough for a 62 yo new cyclist. I'm riding a Giant Cypress 21 speed. I bought the bike used and so the first time I climbed aboard and took off down the road I new absolutely nothing about changing gears. That first trip taught me that I 'd better learn fast. Thanks to this site and a few others, I'm starting to learn a few things about cycling.

I may not use the best treminology, but hopefully I will be clear. I quickly learned to shift to lower gear combo, particularly on hills, to keep my cadence high. In doing so, I have gotten into the habit of using the following gear combo's:

Front Gear # 1 Back Gear - 1 - 3
Front Gear # 2 Back Gear - 3 - 5
Front Gear # 3 Back Gear - 5 - 7

Is this resonable or am I being too restrictive with my front/back gear combinations? Thanks JayE

 

[davereo]

Some folks will say you are spot on. Myself I use all the gears front and back in all combinations. I have never had a chain fall off due to cross chain. I always shift the front while the rear is in the middle range preventing extreme shifts.

By following the method you described shifting becomes difficult because you are always trying to figure out where you are. The method I use is if I need more gear I shift up if less I shift down if I run out I shift the front.

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by JayEIndiana .

Front Gear # 1 Back Gear - 1 - 3
Front Gear # 2 Back Gear - 3 - 5
Front Gear # 3 Back Gear - 5 - 7

Is this reasonable or am I being too restrictive with my front/back gear combinations? Thanks JayE

I think you are being too restrictive. I use all of my gears without a concern about cross chaining.


I was going to say that you should think about what gears you need for the flats and the hills and be prepared to shift into them. But I guess you already did that. You came up with a scheme that I do not use.

---

Shifting the front gears tends to involve shifting the rear gears also. I try to avoid that.

I have a relatively low set of gears - 50-34 in front and 16-30 in the rear. I usually ride in the 50. That gives me a speed range from 10mph (modest hills) to 25mph (flats). For much more than modest hills the 34 gives me a speed range from 5mph to 16mph.

Using the overlap from 10mph to 16mph means I don't need to shift in the front as often.

But I tend to let my cadence vary quite a bit so I don't shift a lot anyway.

 

[JayEIndiana]

Thanks for all the responces. The way I am shifting, I am basicly using nine combo's as my primary gears , three (rear sprockets) for each of my three front sporckets. Now I'm not saying I'm never in a different combo, but this is the progression up and down that I try to follow. Here again, just wanting to know if this is reasonable or if I'm not utilizing as many gears (combo's) as I should. Thanks again, Jay.

 

[maydog]

Don't crosschain too often, you will go blind!

Seriously though, I try to avoid cross-chaining too much simply because I do not like the noise of the chain rubbing the front derailleur.

 

[vegan biker]

Originally Posted by davereo .

Some folks will say you are spot on. Myself I use all the gears front and back in all combinations. I have never had a chain fall off due to cross chain. I always shift the front while the rear is in the middle range preventing extreme shifts.

By following the method you described shifting becomes difficult because you are always trying to figure out where you are. The method I use is if I need more gear I shift up if less I shift down if I run out I shift the front.

^This X2. My cadence fluctuates enough that I run through a lot of the gears to keep a steady cardio pace and have never had any cross chain issues. Besides, I figure since I paid for 'em, I'm going to use them all! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif