[OT - Biking] Question for the Experts

Or probably not even experts needed, just someone not as ignorant about
"new-fangled" bicycles as I am.

OK I have *SEVEN* whole gears on my new bike. Number 1 is when the pedals
spin round and round really easy, and number 7 is where the pedals have some
"bite" to them (they're harder to pedal, but you don't have to pedal as
*much*).

So, which gears are for what??? Which gear do I use for inclines, which for
declines, and which for level ground (I only ride on paved streets with no
real hills at all)? I ended up just putting it on "5" ("4" was a bit too
"loose"), and left it there the whole ride (OK, I snuck out for a *short*
ride - less than 10 miles, I couldn't help myself I *had* to try my new
bike)!

I have to say I *LURVE* my new bikey. It's *so* easy to ride and I got used
to the hand brakes and clipless cleat pedals and shoes almost immediately*.
I've been riding long enough that I can come to a complete stop and still
balance the bike for a second or two - long enough to unclip. And what I
did is unclip a good ways before I knew I was going to stop and just used
the middle of my feet to pedal (I was amazed at how easy it is to "clip in"
without even trying - I'm used to using the balls of my feet for pedaling
and they just clip on as soon as you put pressure there).

*OK, everybody say "I told you so!" ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Or probably not even experts needed, just someone not as ignorant about
"new-fangled" bicycles as I am.

OK I have *SEVEN* whole gears on my new bike. Number 1 is when the pedals
spin round and round really easy, and number 7 is where the pedals have
some
"bite" to them (they're harder to pedal, but you don't have to pedal as
*much*).

So, which gears are for what??? Which gear do I use for inclines, which
for
declines, and which for level ground (I only ride on paved streets with no
real hills at all)? I ended up just putting it on "5" ("4" was a bit too
"loose"), and left it there the whole ride (OK, I snuck out for a *short*
ride - less than 10 miles, I couldn't help myself I *had* to try my new
bike)!


There's no set rule, you'll know by the feel of it, as you use the gears
more you'll get used to which one is best for you. But it seems like you
may have already. My rule of thumb is that if I'm paddling too easily then
I up the gear, or else my legs will tire faster.

Good on you!

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Or probably not even experts needed, just someone not as ignorant about
"new-fangled" bicycles as I am.

OK I have *SEVEN* whole gears on my new bike. Number 1 is when the pedals
spin round and round really easy, and number 7 is where the pedals have
some
"bite" to them (they're harder to pedal, but you don't have to pedal as
*much*).


Okay here goes... in basic terms...

Chainring at front - chain goes round it and at back of bike it goes round a
set of sprockets - you'll have seven on yours, so 1 x 7 = 7 gears. Basically
the smaller the sprocket at the back, the more your wheels turn for a single
revolution of the pedals, so the more effort required, but the faster you
can travel.

Small sprocket at back = high gear
Largest sprocket at the back = low gear

Hence - on flat or downhill when wanting to go fast - you choose a high gear
(small sprocket)
When you want to go slow or... you are going up hill and want all your
effort to go into getting you uphill rather than just turning pedals - you
choose a low gear (large sprocket at the back).

As a general rule - start cycling in a mid-range gear - and move up into a
higher gear. Lowest gears use for going uphill.

Of course, the more unfit you are, the more you use the lower (easier) gears
and the fitter you are the easier it is to use higher (harder to push)
gears.

Combine the above with cadence - the rate at which you turn the pedals. You
should be comfortable, on the flat at 80rpm as a rough guide and whatever
gear you are comfortable in at that cadence is most likely the right gear
for you in those conditions. Of course, if you go uphill, you drop gears.

Examples:-

My bikes each have 27 gears as a result of having a triple chainset at the
front (where the pedals are) and a 9-sprocket set at the rear as this is 3 x
9 =27. For everyday cycling I am usually in mid-range gears, that is I'm in
the middle chainring at the front and move up and down the sprockets at the
back. If I'm going up a steep hill (steep for me that is), I may need to use
the lower gears (formed by smallest chainring at front and larger sprockets
at rear) and if I'm on the flat and want to get a move on, I'll use the
higher gears (formed by biggest chain ring at the front and smaller
sprockets at the rear). I'm of the LA school of thought when it comes to
pedalling - going up any sort of steep hill (relative - steep for me is a
mere blip for a fit person...) I simply drop the gears and up the cadence.
That is much simpler for me than remaining in a high gear and pushing hard
to get up the hill. That wrecks my knees!

Think of it as car gears - you start off in a low gear and work your way up
the gears and if you have to go uphill, you go into a lower gear. Simple
really :-)

Cheers, helen s

On 2005-07-24, CatNipped penned:
OK I have *SEVEN* whole gears on my new bike. Number 1 is when the
pedals spin round and round really easy, and number 7 is where the
pedals have some "bite" to them (they're harder to pedal, but you
don't have to pedal as *much*).

So, which gears are for what??? Which gear do I use for inclines,
which for declines, and which for level ground (I only ride on paved
streets with no real hills at all)? I ended up just putting it on
"5" ("4" was a bit too "loose"), and left it there the whole ride
(OK, I snuck out for a *short* ride - less than 10 miles, I couldn't
help myself I *had* to try my new bike)!

Helen's answer was very good, but perhaps a lot of technical stuff to
absorb ...

In general, if you're starting out flat, you want to be in a gear that
you can pedal easily, and you want to pedal swiftly in that gear.
When you get to an incline, you can shift down (to "easier" gears),
and if you're going downhill and want to be able to pedal usefully,
you can shift up. Ideally, you want to always be pedalling at the
same cadence (pedal strokes per minute), just in different gears
depending on the terrain.

I don't know if there are any real hills to worry about, but also, you
want to avoid "shifting under load." That means that if you're
halfway up the hill and realize you really should be in a lower gear,
it's a bad time to shift; it's tough on the drivetrain. The better
your timing in shifting, the quieter the shift will be. If you're
approaching a short hill, go ahead and power up it without shifting.
But if you're approaching a longer hill, it's a good idea to downshift
before you start to struggle.

There are other considerations when you're not riding on pavement, but
I'll skip that until you start mountain biking =)

One thing -- when I started riding again two years ago, I also had
that feeling that lower gears were too "loose," but it's really that I
just wasn't used to it, and I ended up pushing too high of a gear.
Typically on a geared bike, you will want pedalling to be "easier"
than it would be on a single-speed.

I once again really, strongly recommend checking out the TE forums.
Chock-full of cycling advice for women.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/

I have to say I *LURVE* my new bikey. It's *so* easy to ride and I
got used to the hand brakes and clipless cleat pedals and shoes
almost immediately*. I've been riding long enough that I can come
to a complete stop and still balance the bike for a second or two -
long enough to unclip. And what I did is unclip a good ways before
I knew I was going to stop and just used the middle of my feet to
pedal (I was amazed at how easy it is to "clip in" without even
trying - I'm used to using the balls of my feet for pedaling and
they just clip on as soon as you put pressure there).

Nice!

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

Helen's answer was very good, but perhaps a lot of technical stuff to
absorb ...


Oi!! You inferring I'm a cycling geek!?! ;-)

Cheers, helen s

On 2005-07-24, wafflycat penned:

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

Helen's answer was very good, but perhaps a lot of technical stuff
to absorb ...


Oi!! You inferring I'm a cycling geek!?! ;-)

Cheers, helen s

No, just implying =P

Then I reread my post, and I guess it's not really any easier to
digest ...

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-07-24, wafflycat penned:

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

Helen's answer was very good, but perhaps a lot of technical stuff
to absorb ...


Oi!! You inferring I'm a cycling geek!?! ;-)

Cheers, helen s

No, just implying =P

Then I reread my post, and I guess it's not really any easier to
digest ...

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

It's important to remember to shift gears only when peddling, it you do it
when idle, your chain may pop off once you start to peddle.

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-07-24, wafflycat penned:

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

Helen's answer was very good, but perhaps a lot of technical stuff
to absorb ...


Oi!! You inferring I'm a cycling geek!?! ;-)

Cheers, helen s

No, just implying =P

Well that's alright then ;-)

Cheers, helen s

On 2005-07-24, Trish penned:


It's important to remember to shift gears only when peddling, it you
do it when idle, your chain may pop off once you start to peddle.


Huh?

This is a new one to me. If I've stopped right before a climb or
descent, I often click to a different ring, then pick up the rear of
the bike and spin the pedals to put it in gear.

Granted, that's not quite the same situation.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-07-24, Trish penned:


It's important to remember to shift gears only when peddling, it you
do it when idle, your chain may pop off once you start to peddle.


Huh?

This is a new one to me. If I've stopped right before a climb or
descent, I often click to a different ring, then pick up the rear of
the bike and spin the pedals to put it in gear.

Granted, that's not quite the same situation.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

yes, but you're spinning the rear wheel, that's the difference, if not the
chain MAY pop off, just trying to save her an unnecessary fall.