Using Your Gears Properly
Gears are essential for all bike riders, but are you using them properly? In this video we show you how to avoid cross chaining, how to prepare for steep hills, what the correct cadence is and all the parts that make up a groupset on your bicycle.
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00:00 Our gears are one of the most crucial components on our bike. Making sure they're running efficiently
00:04 is not only key for our enjoyment but also for the lifetime of the bike itself. Riding in the
00:09 wrong gear can also be really inefficient for our riding performance which is probably the
00:12 most important thing of all. So here's our top five tips for getting the most out of your gears.
00:18 [Music]
00:30 First of all let's talk about the basics of gears and you have two options when you do this. You
00:34 can make large changes which revolve around the front two chain rings or smaller changes
00:39 which involve the rear cassette. Your front cassette can come in many different types;
00:43 a standard, a compact or a semi-compact which is a mix of the two. The front chain rings are adjusted
00:50 by using the left brake lever. These shift the chain onto the smaller chainring for uphill or
00:55 particularly steep sections and back onto the big chainring for downhill and flat efforts.
01:00 The right brake lever controls the rear cassette however shifting it onto the larger ring makes the
01:05 pedalling effort easier and the smaller ring harder but this allows you to put out more torque
01:10 and consequently more speed. Every bike may change gear slightly differently depending on the brand
01:16 but you'll get used to this after just a few rides and giving the gears a go by clicking
01:20 through the systems. Making sure that your front chainring and your rear cassette are working in
01:31 perfect harmony is key to cycling performance. It's also really important for the lifetime of
01:36 your bike that you don't cross chain. This can happen in two ways; when the small chainring on
01:41 the front and the smallest sprocket on the back are both in use at the same time or conversely
01:46 when the big chainring on the front and the biggest sprocket on the back are both in gear
01:50 when you are pedalling. This can both stretch the chain and also cause mechanical damage
01:56 meaning more replacement parts and more cost. As a rule of thumb use the rear cassette to make
02:01 small gear changes and use the front chainring once you're starting to reach the extreme ends
02:06 of the cassette. This can be personal preference but a lot of riders do pedal a cadence that isn't
02:16 suited to their ability or the terrain they're riding on. Getting on top of your cadence will
02:21 mean you aren't chugging uphill on the big ring at 40 rpm or spinning yourself out in the small
02:26 ring going downhill at 120 rpm. As I mentioned cadence can be a very personal thing but aiming
02:33 for 80 to 95 rpm when riding on a flat road is a good cadence to aim for.
02:38 Gears are a great way to affect your pedalling rate but making sure you're aware of what's up
02:49 the road ahead is crucial for selecting the correct gear at that moment in time.
02:53 Making sure you are aware of any potential nasty ramps up the road will give you the time to shift
02:59 down a few gears or onto the small chainring. This will ensure you don't come to a grinding halt.
03:04 Changing gear before you are on the climb is far easier for you and your bike whereas changing on
03:10 the climb itself puts a lot of strain on the bike mechanism as well as your momentum going up the
03:14 climb as well. Clicking through the gears one at a time also means you're less likely to have a
03:19 mechanical. Whether this is by dropping the chain or jamming the gears all together if you try to
03:24 make a lot of gear changes all at once. Being aware of your gears isn't just for climbs and
03:35 descents. When riding within towns and cities it is crucial to be aware of when you may have to
03:40 come to a stop and push off again. Always be aware that pushing a massive gear moving away
03:45 from traffic light or a junction is going to be incredibly hard work and almost resemble a track
03:51 start. Instead click through the gears before you come to a stop to a more manageable gear.
03:57 This means you can move away far more gently. Those are our top tips for getting the most out
04:03 of your gears and do be sure to practice in a quiet area before you head out and try it out
04:07 on the open road. Thank you for watching and do let us know in the comments section if you have
04:12 any top tips for changing gears and don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the Cycling
04:17 Weekly YouTube channel. Until next time, we'll see you then.