Gears

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

rebeccs

New Member
Out of curiosity, what sort of gear ratio do most of you tend to use for instance in going uphill. Since I got my brand new bike with front gears as well as back I've tried highs and lows, but have settled on mainly using what is effectively 10th gear for being able to go faster.

For one thing I'm terrified of the chains jumping off. (This is my paranoia speaking). But I was terribly annoyed when someone passed me on a hill pedaling easily when I'd gone into a low(?) gear close to 1st and was pedalling my heart out and not getting anything out of the bike.:smile:

I prefer to feel that my pedalling actually has an effect on my speed. :biggrin:
 

chrisuren

Well-Known Member
Go everywhere in 1st :smile:

But Seriously, I have 5 gears and then another 5(?) on the other side and I normally use 3 for going up hill, and 6 for the flat stuff.
 

TheDoctor

Noble and true, with a heart of steel
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
:welcome:Hello and welcome!

As far as gears for hills go, I tend to use whatever gear keeps me pedalling at much the same speed as I would on the flat. That's one of the reasons there are so many gears. Change gear while you're still pedalling fairly easily (i.e. before you have to stand up!) and the chain shouldn't jump off.
 

jayce

New Member
Location
south wales
If its a mtb their just too easy, you pedal your heart out and get nowhere in the top cog on the back, i have 12-25 rear and 39-52 front i use what ever feels good at the time usually 4-5 uphill as where i live there a lots of hill and most of them a steep.but climb the hill in a steady pace
 

RedBike

New Member
Location
Beside the road
Have a quick search on this site for cadence.

You need to count how many pedal revolutions you complete in a minute.
(Or count how many times you push down the right pedal in 30seconds and double it)

Although there's no set rule as to what your cadence should be. As a rough guide you're looking for about 85/90ish on the flat, 80ish onthe climbs. Under 70 and you are arguably in the wrong gear.
 
If things are properly adjusted, the chain will not jump off whatever you do with the gears. Only time and practice will give you the confidence to use the gears. Use whatever gear gives you a comfortable, even cadence (pedalling speed). If you choose a really low gear, your legs will be spinning around wildly without much forward motion as you have discovered. Too high a gear and you will be grinding uphill using massive pressure on the pedals and burning your legs out in no time. Just get out there and practice. Gears can be quite difficult to master if you are not of a mechanical frame of mind, but do stick with it because you will get familiar with them.
 

Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
48/18(72gear inches), gear 1, is what i use for going up a hill, and down a hill, and on the flat, and everywhere:wacko::ohmy:xx(
On my geared bike, 50/20 would be the lowest i would go in for a hill, and that would have to be a big steep hill aswell, 50/19 is what i prefere to go in for a hill(71GI)
Its a waste of time going into an easy gear to go up hills. Pick one where your not grinding too much(some hills on my fixed mean i grind abit) but not spinning too much and you will go up them alot easier.
Just putting it into an easy gear is silly, as is keeping on changing down through the gears as you go up to keep your legs spinning at an ideal cadence. It makes it alot harder, and makes you alot slower.
I do weigh a small amount but have alot of leg power and good fitness, so i can power up hills on my fixed or in a big gear on my geared bike no problem and at a good speed:becool:
Practice will be the way to find out, and knowing which hills to come out the saddle for to make you go up them faster is good to know. You can pass someone thats sitting down spinning, when if they stood up and put abit more effort in could be going up it alot easier.
 

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
You can pass someone thats sitting down spinning, when if they stood up and put abit more effort in could be going up it alot easier

erm - spinning is by far for me the easiest way to climb - being out the saddle is far less efficient, though timing the "getting out the saddle" well can get you to the cafe first :ohmy:
 

RedBike

New Member
Location
Beside the road
50/20 would be the lowest i would go in for a hill, and that would have to be a big steep hill aswell, 50/19 is what i prefere to go in for a hill(71GI)

You need to find some bigger hills!
 

Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
RedBike said:
You need to find some bigger hills!

No i dont. Ive been up many big hills, i just have strong knees and power in my legs. And i weigh just over 9 and a half stone and my upper body is sort of skinny:blush:
And getting out of the saddle is more efficent if you do it right. Seriousely. I was taught this by someone who was more tired then me while going up a hill. I was sat down spinning up it, he stood up it and just shot off ahead. All because i was sat down. If i ahd stood up and put abit more effort in i would of been faster.
I also went around Derbyshire and the smallest gear i was in was 71GI and i stood up on the big hills and was alot faster then people sitting down.
Im not saying on every hill, its best to stand up, because its not, and on the fixed when i start to pick the speed up i will sit down and go for it, but on some hills standing up is better.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Gearing, as has been discussed and agreed before, is personal preference.

Cadence is likewise. The pros train on hills to evaluate what gear they find most efficient. Then they don't tell anyone.

Also, as has been thrashed to death, is the physics of raising a weight against gravity. The lower the gear, the smaller the upward progression per pedalstroke, therefore the torque ( and resultant power ) is being used slower. Lower kWhrs = easier.

I can only tell you what gears I use, and the gears I see others use.
Make no comparisons. Perservere on the low gear until your legs have developed enough to ride in the next highest gear. Eventually*, SOON*, you will be riding up the same hill twice as fast ( vertically as well as forward ).:becool:

* Delete as necessary.
 

tyred

Squire
Location
Ireland
I mostly ride my SS nowadays so I have 46/20 on a 27" wheel. Might be a bit low for some people but I live in a hilly area. It works for me but it is really personal preference. I can comfortably climb hills with that gear that have me going much lower on my MTB but the MTB is much heavier and a SS drivetrain is more efficient.
 
Top Bottom