The example is from a standing start or slow rolling speed. In VERY basic terms so beginners understand the general gist of how gears work on a road bike.
If there was one thing that beginner cyclists should know, it’s how to use your gears properly. Since starting this page, the one thing that beginner cyclists always ask me is how to use your gears properly. So, here’s a quick crash course on how they work. Starting at the back of the bike, you have what’s called the cassette. The cassette usually has between 8 to 12 cogs. The smaller the cog you’re in, the harder it will be to pedal, and the bigger the cog you’re in, the easier it will be to pedal. The opposite is true for the front of the bike, though. At the front then you’ve got the chain rings and there’s often between one to three chain rings. On the front though, the bigger the chain ring you’re in, the harder it is to pedal. And the smaller the chain ring you’re in, the easier it is to pedal. To move between them, then you often use the shifters on the top of the bike or if you’re really old school, some shifters on the top tube. How to use them then is simply an art of balancing the gears between the front and the back so that you find the appropriate gear of the situation you’re in. Hit follow for more tips.
13 Comments
A step on from this would be to anticipate what road conditions you’re about to be in and change accordingly. Got a hill coming up, change to an easier gear ahead of time so you’re not stuck turning too high a gear. Got a straight and flat section around the corner, try moving to a harder gear on the cassette so pedalling is more efficient.
If you ride mostly on the flat, get a 1×11/12 setup with a bigger range on the rear block. Mountain bikers have done this for years and it just makes everything so much simpler. No cross chaining, less maintenance and I guess more aero, but lets face it, you will need to be knocking out about 300w over a long stretch better aero on the bike really matters
Keep to a cadence
*down tube
Wow 😲
Laughs in 3×7 and downtube shifters. 90's baby!
As per the reference by Jonathan Howson, cross chaining, or the torque created by the rings front and back us an issue. It is unwise to have the chain on the big ring on the front and on the back for example. it will wear your chain and cogs.
30 year old roadbike, downtube shifters, no front derailleur… i love it.
I had a mtb with 3 gears in the front, the chain would constantly fall off but then I got a gravel bike with 1 single gear in the front & 8 in the back. Now I know when to shift & it’s easier to get the chain back on my bike once it falls down
Doing stuff like going small front and small back or big ring front and back I’ve found the chain usually keep scratching the front derailleur which i think can put pressure on the derailleur. So I now I just use front low – 1,2 &3 on the back, front mid – 4,5,6 and front high – 5,6,7,8 which i found doesn’t bend the chain much
So how do you use gears on a road bike?
So do I have a high gear in the back and low gear in front for street riding? And going up hill I use a low gear in the back and high up front?
Clickbait. You never explained how to use it….