Proper Shifting Strategy?

cbjesseeNH said:

Newbie Question: New bike on the way - Serotta Fierte with Shimano 105 and 9 cogs / triple crankset. Now 27 gears - more than my all my fingers and toes.

OK, I'm not in great shape and New Hampshire has big hills, so I need that little chainring for now.

I can punch it all in the Gear Calculator programs and figure the numbers, but am not sure on how to pick riding gears. How to sequence shifts up and down as I ascend and descend.

I know to avoid cross-chaining, but how should I go about planning a shifting strategy for training and group rides?

Thanks for the guidance.

Believe you'll love having the triple on steep hills, since it will give you options for cadence and seated climbing you don't have now. No special strategy is needed. I'd only suggest to make use of the little ring any time you're going to be climbing at 10 mph or less, and to get into it early, before you have to bear down for the climb.

You don't need to be in the largest cog to use the inner ring. Try shifting into the little ring early, when you're on your 19 or 21 cog. You'll find you've got a tight set of climbing gears, and can easily shift to the bigger cogs if needed once in the granny. You may even have one or two cogs in reserve. I often climb in 30/19, or 30/21...it just feels better to me, and the chainline is straighter than when in 39/25.

Just don't be like the newby I rode with Sunday. Before a steep little hill, about 15% or so, I mentioned he might want to shift into his granny ring. I popped mine, but he didn't. About 15 seconds later, I hear a noise and look back to see he'd thrown his chain trying to shift under load, and fallen over when he couldn't unclip in time.

The other guy with us made the hill fine in his DA 10sp double....but he's a 20-something Cat 1 who weighs 137 pounds. He certainly didn't make fun of the newby or me with our triples just because he doesn't need one.

You'll have lots of options, but I wouldn't get shift-happy on the climbs. I can always spot the newbies on climbs in my group rides because I can hear them shifting every few meters. If the grade is relatively consistent, I almost never shift during a climb. If the grade increases, I just add power and power through it at the same cadence. If the grade flattens, I just back off the power and get a little breather. The most important thing to do is to settle into a rhythm and tempo. Constantly changing gears makes it hard to settle into a tempo. BTW, I agree with dhk about getting into the correct chainring early, before you start uphill. It's easier to shift up than it is to shift down.

If you're a newbie, I'd probably suggest you ride in the middle chainring most of the time, at least for a while. Resist the urge to push the big ring all the time and your knees will probably thank you for it.

Drop to the small ring for steep climbs, and jump to the big ring for fast downgrades, but you'll probably have plenty of gear for most occasions just staying in the middle ring. It can take a couple years for the joints and tendons to get accustomed to the stresses of pushing bigger gears - don't rush it.

Good advice, thanks. I am indeed finding that my cadiovascular system and muscles are progressing ahead of my tendons and joints. Perhaps that's why Friel's advice to beginners is simply to ride for a year - moderately, frequently, consistently.

Some 30-odd years ago, when there were only 10-speeds, our theory was to find the gear shifting sequence that minimized duplicates and double shifts without cross-chaining. There wasn't much left to work with!

With 3 x 9 gears, perhaps that's less an issue, and generally going up on the little ring, flat on the middle ring and down on the big ring is most of the answer.

cbjesseeNH said:

Some 30-odd years ago, when there were only 10-speeds, our theory was to find the gear shifting sequence that minimized duplicates and double shifts without cross-chaining. There wasn't much left to work with!

With 3 x 9 gears, perhaps that's less an issue, and generally going up on the little ring, flat on the middle ring and down on the big ring is most of the answer.

Yep, when you look at all the overlap the middle ring gives you 9 gears, the small ring adds 2 more lower ones, and the big ring adds 2 more higher ones.

I'll reiterate the advice above to shift to the small ring *before* you get in the biggest cog (ie, just before, or at the bottom of, the hill). There's a good chance to throw the chain off the inside if you're already in the big cog and then you try to drop to the small ring.

frenchyge said:

If you're a newbie, I'd probably suggest you ride in the middle chainring most of the time, at least for a while. Resist the urge to push the big ring all the time and your knees will probably thank you for it.

Drop to the small ring for steep climbs, and jump to the big ring for fast downgrades, but you'll probably have plenty of gear for most occasions just staying in the middle ring. It can take a couple years for the joints and tendons to get accustomed to the stresses of pushing bigger gears - don't rush it.

as a side note...i almost always stay on the middle ring (been riding two months now). i never feel like i have to drop to the small one, and i don't switch to the largest ring b/c pounding out as much speed as i can isn't as important to me as getting my pedaling technique, rhythm, mechanics, etc. down pat. that sound like a good plan....?

thirdeye73 said:

as a side note...i almost always stay on the middle ring (been riding two months now). i never feel like i have to drop to the small one, and i don't switch to the largest ring b/c pounding out as much speed as i can isn't as important to me as getting my pedaling technique, rhythm, mechanics, etc. down pat. that sound like a good plan....?

Yep. Unless you live in an area with steep hills, your small chainring may not see any use at all. The big ring is fun for those occasional ego-trip sprints or fast downhills, so don't feel that there's anything wrong with using it. 🙂

I used to spin the middle ring almost all the time on our group rides, until the last half-mile. At that point I would get in the big ring and start marking a young guy in our group that always liked to jump a little early on the final sprint. I needed to be ready when he decided to go and there wouldn't be time to shift, so it was better to be cross-chained for a little bit instead.