Gear changing on hills

[DLB]

wots the difference??

i think he's taking the $£55. But in a nice way of of course

 

[cyclebum]

OK you got me there, well we all have to learn somehow or maybe I'm just thicker than I thought. While I think of it, I asume those sticky out things by the wheels are for feet rather than hands as I find all the blood rushes to my head if I try my hands!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Scoosh]

While I think of it, I asume those sticky out things by the wheels are for feet rather than hands as I find all the blood rushes to my head if I try my hands!!!!!!!!!!!

Touché !

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

There are plenty of hills in North Wales. Basically, I aim to be in a lower gear all the time. It's easy to change up, but hard to change down.

 

[John Ponting]

wots the difference??

i think he's taking the $£55. But in a nice way of of course

cyclebum - sorry I was nicely having a laugh - that's the sort of question that I've asked in the past. Everybody has to start somewhere and a bit of humour often helps.

What's the difference? Has you bike got twist action handgrips that change speeds? Often seen on 'leisure' bikes and kids bikes. Gear changing is very easy - just twist one way for a higher (harder) gear and the other way for a lower (easier) gear.

Other options are levers fixed to the bike frame down tube - was the standard for very many years, even with real Tour de France type racers. An alternative was a similar lever in the end of the (nornally dropped) handle bars.

Most modern 'sports' bikes have a lever combined with the brake levers.

 

[cyclebum]

Hi John, of course you are forgiven. I actually have a mtb, which I got in April. I had been using my daughters bike until then which had twist gears and I struggled with on hills especially. Now my new bike has click gears and I love them, when they don't slip of course!
Big day yesturday though, I switched to road tyres and wow what a difference. It was very windy so I wasn't getting the full benefit but my speed was definatley up. Hubby was with me so didn't do any hills as such but there were a few short steep ones and I managed great follwing some of the advice from here and I didn't need to stand on anyof them. The last stretch coming home is not steep but long and steady climb and always gets me and yesturday I kept up a good speed all the way.(left hubby almost standing, makes a change!!!)
Thanks for all the advice guys I'll certainly be back for more.

 

[scm]

apparently they don`t need to change gear

Of course, they do, but it involves a new sprocket and a chain-whip!

 

[laurence]

the trick is not to change gear... to help in this you need a young whippersnapper riding right behind you on the hill... you must then use everything you have to keep going in the gear you are in until you hear them clunking into a lower one and then it's ok to change.

otherwise, you might find putting a little 'kick' in for one pedal rev and then changing down on the next one, using the extra oomph to allow you to ease back on the pedals to change.

i think it's a technique that will start to come naturally - i can't actually think how i change down on hills, but i sure as hell do. maybe the screaming of my lungs and hammering of my heart drowns out the clashing of gears.

L

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

. Hubby was with me so didn't do any hills as such but there were a few short steep ones

Where about were you cycling? I sometimes cycle area of Cheshire north east of Wrexham and it's surprisingly lumpy in places with some short steep hills on the back roads.

 

[cyclebum]

Patrick, I'm the opposite end of Cheshire where it borders with Staffordshire and Derbyshire, so on one side of us we have the lovely lanes of Cheshire with a few short steep climbs, but on the other (where I am slowly starting to venture) are the bigger buggers. I dream of the day I can be brave enough to set off in the direction of Buxton (1 of the first places in England to be cut off when it snows) but it wont be any day soon.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Patrick, I'm the opposite end of Cheshire where it borders with Staffordshire and Derbyshire, so on one side of us we have the lovely lanes of Cheshire with a few short steep climbs, but on the other (where I am slowly starting to venture) are the bigger buggers. I dream of the day I can be brave enough to set off in the direction of Buxton (1 of the first places in England to be cut off when it snows) but it wont be any day soon.

Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Serious respect - there's some steep stuff there (by English standards ) but I write as one who wimped out of hammering the Horseshoe Pass this morning and crawled off in pursuit of flat cycling in Shropshire.

 

[yenrod]

>relieve pressure when changing gears with a derailleur set up

True, but Hyperglide all changed that ! Campy tried to follow and still are

I do mostly but occasionally don't, as you can't if racing etc...