Newbie here, need shifting explained

That is an awful broad question, but I'll take a stab at it ..........

Regardless of what gearing combination, the rule of thumb is cadence ........ this is the rpm of your pedaling. The key area to be in is in the 90-100 rpm's.

If you are starting out, the main thing to work on is getting a smooth pedaling stroke, and keeping your cadence up. A high cadence allows you to work a little less "harder" than when you are trying to grind out a bigger gear.

This applies to flat-land riding mainly. Climbing has a different tactic, but still uses the same principles. For climbing, try to stay in the same range if possible, but more people end up in the 75-85 rpm range. This will be while in the saddle.

When you are tiring out, and the gears start disappearing (and you're down your 39-23 ............), it is fine to stand up to climb. When you stand, move forward on the bike so that you are driving down on the pedals. But it is VERY important that when you stand, you shift down to a harder gear (i.e., go down to a 39-21 if you are in the 23 sitting). Stay smooth, don't get jerky. Any wasted motion is wasted energy, and will just make you bonk faster. Then when you sit down again, shift back to the easier gear, and keep the cadence up.

Gearing is very personal choice. When I was racing, I ran a 42/53 in the front and an 11-21 in the back. The 42-21 was fine for me, even for brutal climbs. But that was many years, and many pounds ago ...... :p ......... now I run a 39-21.

Cadence, ryhthm and fluidness are the key to getting lots of miles in, and improve your skills.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Daremo
That is an awful broad question, but I'll take a stab at it ..........

Regardless of what gearing combination, the rule of thumb is cadence ........ this is the rpm of your pedaling. The key area to be in is in the 90-100 rpm's.

If you are starting out, the main thing to work on is getting a smooth pedaling stroke, and keeping your cadence up. A high cadence allows you to work a little less "harder" than when you are trying to grind out a bigger gear.

This applies to flat-land riding mainly. Climbing has a different tactic, but still uses the same principles. For climbing, try to stay in the same range if possible, but more people end up in the 75-85 rpm range. This will be while in the saddle.

When you are tiring out, and the gears start disappearing (and you're down your 39-23 ............), it is fine to stand up to climb. When you stand, move forward on the bike so that you are driving down on the pedals. But it is VERY important that when you stand, you shift down to a harder gear (i.e., go down to a 39-21 if you are in the 23 sitting). Stay smooth, don't get jerky. Any wasted motion is wasted energy, and will just make you bonk faster. Then when you sit down again, shift back to the easier gear, and keep the cadence up.

Gearing is very personal choice. When I was racing, I ran a 42/53 in the front and an 11-21 in the back. The 42-21 was fine for me, even for brutal climbs. But that was many years, and many pounds ago ...... :p ......... now I run a 39-21.

Cadence, ryhthm and fluidness are the key to getting lots of miles in, and improve your skills.

1.)Thanks for your reply. So, say, at the beginning of a ride when I have a lot of energy, should I start out in a big gear like a 53 and then move down to a 39 when I get tired?

2.)In general, it is easier to pedal in a smaller gear like a 39 than it is to pedal in a larger gear like a 53?

3.)Are big gears (53) used for flat roads and smaller gears (39) used for climbing?

Thanks again!

1) Just like any excercise, you always warm up ..... usually in a 20-30 mile ride, the first 3 or 4 miles are spinning easy (90-100 in like a 39-16 or so .......) for me. Once I feel loosened up, then I will increase speed and gearing. I always tried to maintain a 20 mph average for a total ride, so if I knew there were hills in the route, I'd do around 22 on the flats. But that is just me years ago, set a realistic goal of an average you want to maintain. then use whatever gear combo you need to get that, whether it is the big ring or little ring ......... There are those that say spinning the 39 or 42 is better than pushing the 53 even if your cadence is good. Coaches/trainers say to use your small chanring for most of the training to keep your cadence high, and not stress out the muscles pushing harder gears for the early season work.

2) Yes, common sense ...... the total gear ratios will be different. You will have to expend a lot more energy to spin a 53-15 at 90 rpms over a 39-15 at 90 ........... but then again, you will be going a lot faster in the big ring .......... :p

3) Yes, typically ............ but there are some mountain goats out there that climb in their big ring ........

You have to remember that on a 9-spd set-up, there will be a lot of overlap of gear ratios ......... A 53-19 gear choice will be very similar to something in the 39, like maybe a 39-14 or so. There are plenty of gear ratio calculators out there, see one of those to figure it out for sure.

The importance is not how big a gear you can push, but how you can maintain it at a good cadence, and to the speed you are targeting for your average.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Daremo
1) Just like any excercise, you always warm up ..... usually in a 20-30 mile ride, the first 3 or 4 miles are spinning easy (90-100 in like a 39-16 or so .......) for me. Once I feel loosened up, then I will increase speed and gearing. I always tried to maintain a 20 mph average for a total ride, so if I knew there were hills in the route, I'd do around 22 on the flats. But that is just me years ago, set a realistic goal of an average you want to maintain. then use whatever gear combo you need to get that, whether it is the big ring or little ring ......... There are those that say spinning the 39 or 42 is better than pushing the 53 even if your cadence is good. Coaches/trainers say to use your small chanring for most of the training to keep your cadence high, and not stress out the muscles pushing harder gears for the early season work.

2) Yes, common sense ...... the total gear ratios will be different. You will have to expend a lot more energy to spin a 53-15 at 90 rpms over a 39-15 at 90 ........... but then again, you will be going a lot faster in the big ring .......... :p

3) Yes, typically ............ but there are some mountain goats out there that climb in their big ring ........

You have to remember that on a 9-spd set-up, there will be a lot of overlap of gear ratios ......... A 53-19 gear choice will be very similar to something in the 39, like maybe a 39-14 or so. There are plenty of gear ratio calculators out there, see one of those to figure it out for sure.

The importance is not how big a gear you can push, but how you can maintain it at a good cadence, and to the speed you are targeting for your average.

Thanks again for your reply. The reason I'm so curious about all this because on my previous bikes whenever I changed to a smaller gear I felt like I was doing a lot of pedaling without going far or fast, so I just kept it in the big gear.

Sometimes in a race if you start out in the big gears you'll blow out before you finish the race. Pace yourself and learn tactics if you are talking racing. Learn group/pack riding, pace line technique, and then mix in a little strategy as you progress.

For gearing and shifting start with sheldonbrown.com and work your way down to the gear ratio calculator and linked articles. As mentioned it is more a matter of cadence than it is speed or power, work within your most efficient cadence range (which varies somewhat between different riders) and use the gears to your own best advantage.

A good practice when you are just starting out is to find a bike computer with the cadence function. Go for a ride on a lightly traveled route and work on keeping your cadence steady within a 10rpm range. Depending on your conditioning and bio makeup most people will tend to start out slower as they start trying to ride more efficiently then will increase their cadence potential as they progress in their conditioning. I've found a range of 65-95 rpm as more realistic than 90-100, in season in years past when I rode a lot I was usually in the 75-95 range averaging around 85-90 or so. Less than 60rpm and you'll be crawling home with sore knees before the day is over, over 100rpm for very long and you'll be winded well before lunchtime, in between there is a happy zone of balance.

I've seen training schedules that say... ride in 42/14 2 minutes, 42/12 2mins then .... etc

On a training rides ALONE, I'm finding that after maintaining a high speed for 8 or 9 miles, my lets start getting tired (but I'm not out of breath or breathing heaivly).

I'm following such a schedule and get tired.
Right now, I mash on at the slower speed. My lung capacity seems to improve steadily but not my speed itself.

Is it better to stop and rest for a few mins...then get back on to maintain the gearing and minutes required?

Or is it better to mash on at a slower speed. Which will improve velocity quicker?

Mashing a lower gear will NOT improve your velocity ... it may get you stronger in the legs, but not in the cardio ........ It may puish your heart rate way up, but it doesn't keep you in the aerobic zone where you want to be, it puts you anaerobic.

Spinning is the best way to improve endurance and stamina. All the coaches tell you that .........

I made it a point to try and not to go into the big ring until about two months into my yearly training (back when I rode 3,000+ a year).

There is a reason all the coaches tell you to spin 90-100 ..... and it really improves your form, leg speed, and bike skills.

Just read up on it, or talk to some coaches.

Is there a correct technique for changing from the small to big chain ring and vice versa while riding? Also I have been told you shouldn't ride big front - biggest rear as the chain is at too much of an angle, is this correct and is this the same for small front -smallest rear?

For the second point, yes, you should not do the extreme gear combos, it overtaxes your chain, and there is a ratio in the other ring that is similar in the middle of the cog set.

Pedaling smooth, at a good cadence without jamming on the gears while changing is the best way.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Daremo
For the second point, yes, you should not do the extreme gear combos, it overtaxes your chain, and there is a ratio in the other ring that is similar in the middle of the cog set.

Pedaling smooth, at a good cadence without jamming on the gears while changing is the best way.

So you should change up to the large chain ring before you get to the lowest rear on the small? At what stage? And back down?

As I said earlier, keep your cadence in whatever range you feel comfortable, and that will dictate your shifting.

If you are all the way down in your 13 or 14 while still using the small chain ring, then shift to the big, and go up the cogs a few gears in the rear.