6 TIPS THAT WILL HELP MAKE SHIFTING SMOOTH AND EASY

Have you ever noticed that your bike makes noise when shifting or you're having a hard time changing gears? We're here to help. Jeff explains 6 great tips on how to shift so you have a better ride.

What Does it all Mean?!
One of the most difficult things about learning how to shift is the terminology. Low/High, Big/Small, Easy/Hard, Fast/Slow, Front/Rear, One-by, Two-by, Three-by… if your head is spinning already, you may want to brush up on the following vocab words:

LOW GEAR = EASY = GOOD FOR CLIMBING: The “low” gear on your bike is the smallest chain ring in the front and the largest cog on your cassette (rear gears). In this position, the pedaling will be the easiest and you’ll be able to pedal uphill with the smallest amount of resistance. To get into this position, it is called “downshifting”.

HIGH GEAR = HARD = GOOD FOR DESCENDING: The “highest” gear on your bike is the largest chain ring in the front and the smallest cog on your cassette (rear gears). In this position, the pedaling will be the hardest and you’ll be able to accelerate while traveling downhill. To get to this position, it is called “upshifting”.

SPEED BIKE: When you were a kid, you probably bragged about the number of “speeds” your bike had to your friends. Whether it was 7, 18, 21-speed, etc., what you were referring to is the number of gears you had on your bike. You could determine this number by multiplying the number of cogs in your cassette (rear gears) by the number of chain rings (front gears) your bike has. For example, if your bike has two chain rings and 11 cogs in the cassette, then you have a 21-speed bike. However, higher-end adult bikes are rarely referred to in this way in the modern bicycle industry because, basically, more doesn’t always mean better. More on that below!

One, Two, Three-by: The amount of chain rings (front gears) on your bike determines if your drivetrain (the system of gears) is referred to as a “one-by” “two-by” or “three-by”. The current trend in the bicycle industry is to strive to produce the same range of gears using less chain rings. The result is a larger cassette (rear gears) that has more cogs and often more teeth on the largest cog in the cassette. Why? Because, generally, having less chain rings makes the bike more efficient, lighter weight and easier to operate and adjust. This is the reason you will often see one-by drivetrains on high-end mountain bikes and two-by drivetrains on the high-end road bikes.

EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT SHIFTING TECHNIQUES: Ok, here is the most important thing to remember while riding any bike: THERE IS NO PERFECT GEAR! SHIFT!

So often, we see people putting too much power into their pedals as they climb up a steep hill in the big chain ring or legs flailing as they spin out on a gear that is too easy for the descent they are riding. Your goal while riding should be to keep a cadence (the speed at which your pedals make a full rotation) that as consistent as possible! To do that, it requires one of two things: shifting or increased power output. The thing about power output is, unless you are wonder woman, you have a limited supply. We suggest shifting often for increased efficiency while riding.

SO, KEEP THESE TIPS IN MIND WHILE RIDING.
1. Use your left hand to shift the front gears. ...
2. Use your right hand to shift the rear gears. ...
3. Gear down to make your pedaling easier but less powerful. ...
4. Gear up to make your pedaling harder but more powerful. ...
5. Practice shifting up and down in a flat area. ...
6. Only shift while you're pedaling forward.

Happy Shifting!

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[invinciblemuffi]

Very well explained. Doesn't matter what brand derailer or shifter is, one has to understand the fundamentals

[hayden]

This is EXACTLY the info I was looking for!

[stephanycrestwood]

Thank you. This was extremely helpful for me.

[edwardsmyth]

Jeff basically owns the San Diego bike scene. The true pedal phreaks speak his name in almost a hushed tone, as if any more than a whisper will extinguish the legend. Keep pedaling and meddling my friends! 🚲🚲🚳🚳

[YoungstarYS]

Really helpful and very nicely presented

[brandontheblack]

I looked this up after borrowing my brother's bike today and having a lot of trouble finding the right gear. I was worried that the bike needed maintenance but it seems it's probably user error. Thanks for the info.

[selfproclaimedcowboy]

I thought this was about shifting realities lmao

[Spigola-]

Great video. My issue is that I have to sometime double click to make it go from High to low gear ( 7 to 1), isn't shifting smoothly. What should I adjust to correct that?

[nathan_w]

how many gears can/should i shift at a time?

[vicryze]

Sometimes when I'm standing up riding and I'm just coasting I dont switch gears, and then all of the sudden it changes gears even when I dont change it myself. So basically what I'm saying is it changes gears automatically, even when I dont do anything. Anything that might fix that?

[oninmag-aso]

How do I make my shifter lever smooth? It's so hard to twist it

[devanshvaish]

my gears are making noise while shifting. anything that might fix that.

[keithclark]

I'm New to biking
61 yrs old
I bought my bike at Walmart
My question is
When I change the gear why does it engage the front brakes ?

[johnrivera]

do i need to hold or hard press the shift button when shifting gears up?

[METEORA_]

front single chain ring is more simple and easier for me

[DansGotGroove]

If you're switching from a high gear to a low gear, how do you switch gears smoothly (or in a way that isn't bad for the bike) if currently in order to pedal and move, you have to exert a lot of pressure on the pedals? Should you just wait till the road or path you're taking starts descending enough to where you can pedal without exerting a lot of pressure on the pedals? Or is it possible/practical to push it and pedal really hard just before shifting to try and build up some momentum so you have that to help decrease the amount of pressure it takes to make a full pedal revolution?

[krishriyazs]

When I shift from say 5 to 4, nothing happens...only when I move to 3 it feels like the pedaling is easier...what should I do ?

[Giftig--Daniel-P]

who has multiple front chainrings anymore.