Hi all,
When i was younger I rode a bicycle alot, I understood how the 18 speed I had worked. 6 on one side, 3 on the other.
However I've just bought an E-Bike to help me get out, and the gears are a bit odd. There's 7 on the right side, standard. But the left side has a + – range that has about 10 clicks.
When I shift into most of them, the gears just make a constant clicking sound, shift to the next, same thing, next, same thing, eventually it stops clicking.
Is this something standard or really wack? I've never seen gears like this before. Why are there so many increments and why do most of them make an awful sound?
I've tried googling, but all the results are standard looking numbers on either side
Thank you
by CorvoCorvius
5 Comments
This works the same as a friction shifter, essentially. Push/pull until your RD changes cogs
It’s just a very cheap shifter. It doesn’t have the 1-2-3 but has lots of incremental steps to move the chain across. This is because it is designed to a price point where shifting accuracy is often bollocks so it gives you the option to choose where the shift ends up. It’s been nicknamed “frindexed” (friction indexed) where I work. You can also get grip shifts that work the same. Think of – as 1 and + as 3 and figure the rest out. Bike gears are simple.
This is a friction shifter. It basically works like the 3 speed shifter you’re used to. The difference is that it’s not indexed: rather than moving to 3 exact positions, you can turn it to any position, even to a position that does not correspond to one of the 3 gears (which generates that clicking sound). Basically, you have to carefully position the lever in the right position so it doesn’t make that clicking sound.
The advantage of doing it this way is that (if you’re skilled at using it) you can get it in the *exact* right position, more precisely than an indexed shifter could. The disadvantage is that you can’t just click it and be in the right spot. It’s cheaper too, which is probably the main reason it’s on your bike.
Just curious, on your e-bike, how many rings do you have at the front of the bike where the pedals are?
It goes to 11, then it goes 10 more.