How to PROPERLY shift gears on a bicycle?

How to PROPERLY shift gears on a bicycle?

The basics are explained at 15 minutes and 53 seconds - "Conclusion - the essence!"

- Contents -
00:00 Introduction
00:42 SHOCKING fact :)
02:22 Cross-chaining explained
03:32 The basic principle
07:58 Chainline and 2x cranks explained
09:01 Compact cranks 50x34 problem
12:38 How to shift gears
15:00 1x systems
15:53 Conclusion - the essence!

- Useful links -

Indexed list of all my videos (sorted by categories, with tags, searcheable):

If you have any questions, please use the BikeGremlin forum (I try to respond to every comment, but YouTube sucks at notifications, especially when it comes to any follow-up questions):

Patreon support page:

Gears ("gear-inches"), cross-chaining, and overlapping gears explained:

Chainline explained:

Pros and cons of 1x systems:

How to safely start & stop with a bicycle:

The shirt! :)

List of all the BikeGremlin videos, sorted by categories:

Thank you, doctor! :)

id: 1044

[BikeGremlinUS]

If you have any questions, please use the BikeGremlin forum (I try to respond to every comment, but YouTube sucks at notifications, especially when it comes to any follow-up questions):
LEARN how to ride a bicycle in one day (kids and beginners):

Patreon support page:

Relja

[marcusmors]

this guy speaks english and uses the metric system. He deserves more than a like. Thanks!

[peterw.]

Speaking a second language is never easy. Most people in this world are too lazy to do so. Your vocabulary is excellent- just relax and let the words flow. Thank you very much for explaining these little known details. I just destroyed a rear derailleur by shifting too late and too hard before starting a hill climb on my road bike. Your info will keep me from doing that again.

[gdzilla]

Even native English speakers can only dream of making this quality of content. Really helpful and informative.

[bonillasergio]

First thing: Don't lower yourself... If some people find this boring or too long, they are not quite interested in the science behind cycling.
Second: This video is actually very good. Great and detailed description! Keep it up!!
Thanks a lot!!

[B_COOPER]

I just cannot believe how criminally underrated you are. You are by far one of the most informative, educating, and you stay on topic without a bunch of rambling on. I noticed in one of your videos that you apologized for your English. Coming from an American that only speaks English, you speak more fluently than most people here that are not multi-lingual.

[IsaacNussbaum]

I understand that details are not everyone's cup of tea but you, sir, have made my day. You packed a great deal of useful information into a 17 minute video, information that will make riding enormously more enjoyable for me going forward. Thank you!

[andrewdavis]

Always suspected that gears worked this way, with the overlapping ratios, but great to have it confirmed and explained by an expert. Many thanks, a really informative video.

[danieliturrino]

I had to pause right before you demonstrated cross chaining on your bicycle. Just want to say, detailed, informative and extremely thorough videos are a beginners & amateurs FAVORITE type of video. We learn so much more than a quick 2 min video. So thank you for all you do. Never stop. You might have a small audience but we are listening and watching closely

[philcaffrey]

By the way, to follow up my earlier comment, I am English and really enjoy hearing the language used well. You, sir, use it very well. You speak English better than most English people. That's a fact.

[jmaggg]

You just explained exactly what I wanted to know perfectly. I went through around 10 different 'experts' before I got to your video and NONE of them explained anything as precicely as you did. You have the benefit of not having English as your first language so you choose your words carefully and perfectly. Thank you!

[marularch]

I was trying to watch you videos in Serbian but this is much better, thanks a lot. Greetings from Belgrade!

[nickhayes]

The explanation, diagram, and real demonstration solidified this concept more than any other teaching I've ever heard! Your video was not boring or unnecessarily long. It takes time to fully express certain ideas. I appreciate content done the right way; thoroughly and detailed.

[samari]

To every new cycler: this should be required watching. Great discussion on a very commonly overlooked issue with gear change best practices.

[chrisricetopher]

Man… out of the 80 videos I’ve watched… your explanation connected ALL the dots. Great work my friend.

[joramrozal]

Been riding for 10 years, but I have just learned how to use proper gearing. Thank you for this very informative video, man!

[pannsui]

I just bought my first bike! I was confused when I saw that my bike had shifts for front and rear derailleurs. This video really helped explain that they do and what the optimal settings were. Thank you for explaining it so thoroughly and making so easy to understand!

[moetocafe]

For those with 3 gear wheels in the front, it's good to predisposition the front gear up to the terrain ahead. If you bike mostly in the city, like me - then for the most part you can leave the front in the middle gear.
If you're about to climb a more steeper terrain/hill - shift to the small front gear, before you begin so that you're well prepared.
If you'll downhill in fast speed - shift to the high front gear.

[afinkeln]

Best video of its type I have ever seen. This is "lightbulb moment" video when things really start making sense, especially with gear ratio. This is the perfect combination of practical and theoretical to instill the right logic to gear shifting. Just Excellent. Thank you very much.

[premravindranath]

I guess whoever says ur videos sucks they're probably not watching your entire video, it's rare gem which I have found... A very detailed explanation. Thanks a lot.. cheers.. By the way you have a great accent :-)