The Cellar - View Single Post

breakingnews · 05-20-2005, 01:02 PM

Um, yeah, you don't really need to shift gears in order (just like you don't really have to in a car). You should accelerate, then soft-pedal while shifting into the big chainring and then downshifting in the rear.

Try going to 4th gear and giving yourself four or five extra-hard cranks ... then, while lightly pedaling (to keep the chain moving) shift the front derailleur to the big ring ... then downshift to 2nd or 3rd cog in the back. Start pedaling - if it's too much or too little, up or downshift to compensate. This is a lot easier with STI levers (the brake levers double as shifters) - you probably have the traditional levers mounted on the forward downtube, which are a pain to use.

I rarely use my 9th cog. Since I'm heavier and carry a lot of momentum, I'll usually go to the 5th cog, then shift to big ring in the front. That's a good "medium" gear for me - some people will ride longer using small chainring and a small gear before shifting to big chainring, and vice versa. Whatever works for you.

05-20-2005, 01:02 PM	#130
breakingnews Q_Q Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: somewhere in between Posts: 995	Um, yeah, you don't really need to shift gears in order (just like you don't really have to in a car). You should accelerate, then soft-pedal while shifting into the big chainring and then downshifting in the rear. Try going to 4th gear and giving yourself four or five extra-hard cranks ... then, while lightly pedaling (to keep the chain moving) shift the front derailleur to the big ring ... then downshift to 2nd or 3rd cog in the back. Start pedaling - if it's too much or too little, up or downshift to compensate. This is a lot easier with STI levers (the brake levers double as shifters) - you probably have the traditional levers mounted on the forward downtube, which are a pain to use. I rarely use my 9th cog. Since I'm heavier and carry a lot of momentum, I'll usually go to the 5th cog, then shift to big ring in the front. That's a good "medium" gear for me - some people will ride longer using small chainring and a small gear before shifting to big chainring, and vice versa. Whatever works for you. __________________ Gone crazy, be back never.