Last year I got my first real bike (decades ago I drove a kiddie one, but that's about it). It's a Jamis Explorer 4130 mountain bike, with three front gears and six back gears. The shifter is a Quickshift QS60-61. Nobody taught me how to use it, so I've been trying to figure out the fine points on my own. A few things continue to mystify me:
1. Is it safe to say I'd avoid cross-chaining if I always stay in the middle-ish range of the back gears? I'm not doing anything fancy, don't need use of all gears, just mostly want to drive smooth (and quiet!).
2. What do you do when surprised by a steep hill and you're still in a high gear? It can be awfully tough to keep pedaling so the shift can happen. Any special tricks, or is it just a nasty muscle-through situation, period?
3. Third gear in front stopped working within five minutes of my first ride. I've had it fixed twice by two different shops, but the fix never lasts more than five minutes. I'm assuming it's driver error...I shift very awkwardly. Any guesses re: what might going wrong here?
4. Any general ultra-newbie tips on Quickshift QS60-61? I drive a manual car, but don't find bike shifting real natural. Don't think I'm doing it quite the right way. Outside references to study up on would be appreciated!
1. Is it safe to say I'd avoid cross-chaining if I always stay in the middle-ish range of the back gears? I'm not doing anything fancy, don't need use of all gears, just mostly want to drive smooth (and quiet!).
2. What do you do when surprised by a steep hill and you're still in a high gear? It can be awfully tough to keep pedaling so the shift can happen. Any special tricks, or is it just a nasty muscle-through situation, period?
3. Third gear in front stopped working within five minutes of my first ride. I've had it fixed twice by two different shops, but the fix never lasts more than five minutes. I'm assuming it's driver error...I shift very awkwardly. Any guesses re: what might going wrong here?
4. Any general ultra-newbie tips on Quickshift QS60-61? I drive a manual car, but don't find bike shifting real natural. Don't think I'm doing it quite the right way. Outside references to study up on would be appreciated!