Howdy,
I have quite a few miles under my belt on my KH Schlumpf Nimbus 36,
with 150mm cranks. I'm fairly proficient at shifting now; I usually up
or downshift with one or two tries, and I (generally) don't loose
speed.
Speeds at which I shift:
* I tend to upshift at 8-10 mph; I prefer shifting at 10 mph, and that
is the usual threshold of when I decide I should shift.
* I tend to downshift at 8 mph; sometimes at 10 mph
* Up shifting at slower speeds is possible, but generally not
efficient. It is more efficient for me to rapidly get up to speed (10
mph) in 1-1 and then shift.
* Down shifting at higher speeds is possible (say 12 mph), but is
sketchy since your go from a very low cadence to a very high cadence.
Hardware notes:
* Anything longer than 150's would be hard for me to shift; I'm short,
and my feet aren't physically large enough. Larger cranks would require
me to ride on my toes. If you have trouble shifting with 165's, well,
drop the crank size.
* I tend to ride more on the balls of my feet now. I used to ride with
my ankle situated over the pedal (safer for muni), but having my feet
back slightly more helps with shifting.
Shifting techniques:
1. Slowly move your heel towards the button. I rotate my foot about a
vertical axis that goes through the ball of my foot. It also helps to
slightly lean your foot in towards the unicycle/crank at a slight
angle.
2. You should start to "feel" the button, and hear a consistent "click
click click" every time your heel *rubs* on it. Just feel it. Don't
shift yet.
3. Get a feel for the cadence and the rate at which your rotating by
hearing the "click click click".
4. On the beat, move your heel in slightly more with a little
force...and then you shift!
I don't always do the two middle steps, but when initially learning to
shift, I discovered this technique was very helpful. I do sometimes use
this technique when I know a ways before I want to shift; that way my
body has a feel for the cadence, and I can easily shift right when I
want to.
Also noted: being able to 1-foot will aide in your shifting, as it
generally takes a light foot to shift.
corbin
--
corbin
http://www.corbinstreehouse.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
corbin's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7561
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/69964
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com