Back to front

[s7ephanie]

I am aiming to be able to cycle to town (10k) soon, as i no longer have a car and nearest shops are in town. Went in this morning (got a lift) and realised that the route is back to front for me !!!
Its downhill a lot of the way there, which means uphill on the way home :-(

Must work out how the gear thingy on the left side work !!! maybe it will make it easier, at present i only use the 6 on the right hand

 

[Mo1959]

I am aiming to be able to cycle to town (10k) soon, as i no longer have a car and nearest shops are in town. Went in this morning (got a lift) and realised that the route is back to front for me !!!
Its downhill a lot of the way there, which means uphill on the way home :-(

Must work out how the gear thingy on the left side work !!! maybe it will make it easier, at present i only use the 6 on the right hand

It should certainly help with the hills if you can put it in the smallest chainring on the front. I much prefer coming home either downhill or with the wind but it never seems to work out that way!

 

[malcermie]

What bike do you have? Does the front ring ( where the pedals are) have two or three cogs? You need to use the left lever to move to the smaller cog to make it easier.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Can't you detour the hills on the way home? Will make the ride longer as well!

 

[raindog]

Must work out how the gear thingy on the left side work !!! maybe it will make it easier, at present i only use the 6 on the right hand

Don't you know someone else with a bike who could show you how it works? Climbing hills on the big ring isn't recommended, especially for a beginner.

 

[s7ephanie]

I have just looked - there are 3 chain rings? at the front (pedal) and the chain is on the inside smallest one, at the back is 6 and chain is on smallest - gear in handel is on number 6 !!!!!
I have never understood cycle gears, son was a BMXer (champion) but no gears on BMX bikes LOL hoping to get him here one day for tyre repair lessons

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Generally the smaller the ring on the front the easier to pedal, the smaller the ring on the back the harder it is to pedal.

For everyday riding you should try using the middle front ring and middle back rings, that way when you go up hill you can drop the front ring to the smallest ring ans spin the pedals easier.

Once you get used to the bike you may find you ride the majority of the time on the big front ring and only drop to the middle for hills and save the smallest front ring for the really big climbs.

 

[Mo1959]

I have just looked - there are 3 chain rings? at the front (pedal) and the chain is on the inside smallest one, at the back is 6 and chain is on smallest - gear in handel is on number 6 !!!!!
I have never understood cycle gears, son was a BMXer (champion) but no gears on BMX bikes LOL hoping to get him here one day for tyre repair lessons

In that case you are already on the lowest gear in front but sounds like the highest at the back. Moving the chain onto the biggest sprocket at the back at the same time as the smallest on the front will give you the smallest gear available.

 

[SWSteve]

I have just looked - there are 3 chain rings? at the front (pedal) and the chain is on the inside smallest one, at the back is 6 and chain is on smallest - gear in handel is on number 6 !!!!!
I have never understood cycle gears, son was a BMXer (champion) but no gears on BMX bikes LOL hoping to get him here one day for tyre repair lessons

What are the shifters like? Try pushing the bottom of the left brake lever into the centre line of the bike. This shoudl switch 'up' switching down will depend on model of shifters

 

[s7ephanie]

what are shifters ? the gears work with the handle grips (you turn the grip) only right side works at moment i think the left needs oiling maybe

 

[malcermie]

Turn the right one to a lower number say 3

 

[Canrider]

For the lowest possible gear, you want the chain on the smallest gear at the front (probably '1' on your LH twist-shifter), and on the largest gear at the back (again probably '1' on your RH shifter).
If you try moving the LH (front gears) shifter while you're off the bike and not pedaling, you should be able to see whether it's working or not by whether it moves. Bear in mind you won't be able to shift gears unless you're actually pedaling the bike, so maybe before you set off try lifting the rear wheel using one hand on the frame and turning the gear shifts with your other hand while one foot turns the pedals. That way you can practice using the shifters and get it in lowest gear before you start off home.

 

[SWSteve]

what are shifters ? the gears work with the handle grips (you turn the grip) only right side works at moment i think the left needs oiling maybe

Sorry, wrongly assumed you were riding a road bike.

 

[Arjimlad]

I've got those gripshift gears on my hybrid. If the chain is already on the smallest cog at the front, you're on the easiest cog for climbing hills already at that end.

I'd stay out of gear 6 at the back on the wheel, when using the smallest cog at the pedal end, though. The extreme angle the chain is at will wear it out prematurely and it might even snap when you are grinding your way uphill.

Twisting the left grip towards you should move the chain onto the bigger rings at the front.

If it won't budge it might just have jammed a bit through lack of use.

A squirt of WD40 or GT85 on the front derailleur by the chainrings (pedal end) and down into the cable outer might help get it moving again, or you might just be able to free it up by pulling it outwards a little bit with your fingers. Winter salt and grime may have clogged it up a little.

If it is like mine, it is sprung so that it will be harder to move outwards towards the bigger chainrings.

From my visits to Decathlon stores in France, your local Decathlon mechanic may be happy to get things moving again for a small "pourboire"..

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It's this simple, the lower the number's the easier it is to climb hill's, so left 1 and right 1 will be the easiest to use, conversely 3 and 6 will be the hardest (best for down hill).
As has been mentioned don't use large front (3) with large rear (1), or small front (1) with small rear (6) as this will lead to chain wear.