Gearing Advice

[NeilEB]

Hi all,

So, the last time I rode was my old BMX when I was about 14, which had none of these pesky gear levers to worry about.

I'm after some advice on how to go about using the gears on my soon to be new bike. What is the difference between the front and rear gear cog, which gear should I be in for different types of terrains, that sort of thing.

Also, there's some terminology I'd like explained if possible:
Freewheeling
Grinding
Spinning

Thanks
Neil

 

[byegad]

Well done for getting yourself a new bike, beware cycling is addictive.

Gears.
The bigger the front 'chainring' and/or the smaller the rear ring on the 'cassette' the higher the gear, which means the further you travel for one turn of the 'cranks'. Great for high speed if you are strong enough to keep it turning over fast enough, but very hard work up hill.

Conversely the smaller the front ring and/or bigger the rear the lower the gear and the distance covered by one turn of the cranks is smaller, this helps you get up hills.

You say it's a road bike, so it wil have a choice of two rings at the front and 9 or more at the back. As the chain has to flex sideways to run across these rings it is advisable not to run the big ring at the front to the biggest 3 or so rings at the back, nor the smaller front ring to the smallest 3 or so at the rear. There is a huge overlap between the ratios available from all of the combinations so this will be no hardship. Doing this will reduce chain wear.

Freewheeling is when you stop pedalling and the bike continues on its way with no effort. The bike slows down but not by much if you are on a level road and the bike will continue to accelerate down hill.

Grinding and Spinning refer to 'cadence' which is measured as the number of turns of the cranks in one minute.
If you pedal too slowly you are grinding and your knees will not thank you for it in the long run!
If you pedal quickly you are spinning and this is regarded as a good thing. It is more efficient and kinder to your knees.

Cadences of 70- 80 are typical of most experienced cyclists, racing cyclists spin faster, nearer 100, there are exceptions! Big hills will eventually reduce everyone to grinding depending on gear ratios fitted to the bike and rider fitness.

Hope this helps, don't be afraid to come back with any more questions. Also Google Sheldon Brown. The late Sheldon left a huge archive of material about cycling for use by novices and experts alike.

Cheers byegad, aka Geoff

 

[NeilEB]

Thanks Geoff, very helpful stuff!

It's not a road bike though, it's a Hybrid (if I can use that word without being jumped on by the "There's no such thing as a hybrid" brigade. It's entry level if that helps at all.

Also, why does a slower cadence hurt your knees more?

Any advice for a newbie starting out? Just find a gear that I can pedal comfortably at? I'm not very fit, so I will be sticking to mainly flat terrain.

 

[calibanzwei]

Slower cadence (on the flat) usually means too high a gear - much harder to push and, depending on your ability, no so good on your knees.
Harder to push, lower cadence = better for building up musculature
Easier to push, higher cadence = better for aerobic ability, weight loss etc etc

 

[byegad]

A hybrid may have three front rings rather than two but no worries the above still applies.

It's all about pressure on the knee. Use too slow a cadence, and over time you will subject them to wear. A higher cadence is something you can train for. try riding on the flat in one gear lower than the one you would normally find yourself in on that road, do this often. Also as you start to climb a hill gear down before you feel the cadence fall and try to maintain the ensuing high cadence as long as possible, changing down as necessary to keep yourself spinning.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

Pressure on the knees can also occur if your saddle position is too low, the lower it is, the further the knee has to bend and endure stresses under longer distance cycling.

A higher saddle position will relieve the tension on the soft tissue surround the knee both under the joint (tennis elbow type fatigue injuries) and above the knee, (muscular aches in the lower quads).

 

[byegad]

Good point, and there are various ways of setting it 'right'. My method is to sit in my riding position and place my heel on the pedal. When my leg is just able to lock and unlock my knee with the heel on the pedal, it's just right. For me!