Who wants to give me a lesson in gearing??

[Wigbank]

As the title says, I'm after advise and pointers on knowing what gear to use and when. The difference I found today was on downhill sections I would normally stop peddling and let gravity take over, today however I kept changing gear to keep peddling and found this easier. Same at the top of climbs, normally I would stay in the easy gear to grab a breather, but today, as the road flattend I'd shift the gears and keep going.

My thoughts are try to match my leg speed with my road/wheel speed?.

Your thoughts please

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Depends on if you are a spinner or a grinder.
The latter tends to stay in harder gears on a climb and come out at the top in a gear they can push off at, then going into higher gear or freewheeling to get something back.
A spinner keeps a steady cadence (turns of te crank) per minute and used the gears and usually a lot less energy getting up the cimbs.
At the top they are closer to or in granny gear and need to drop quite a few to match any decent downhill speed.
I am in the spinner area and use the gears and prefer pedalling downhill to freewheeling unless my legs are knackered at the top.

Please note that these two types re broad generalisations and tere are many variations in between.
You do what feels right for you and gets the best power to output ratio.

 

[Wigbank]

Sounds like I'm a spinner

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Yup, and and with you being a spinner, regarding the grinders, it's a shame and they jus can't stop it. At least you're not one of a kind.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Yup, and and with you being a spinner, regarding the grinders, it's a shame and they jus can't stop it. At least you're not one of a kind.

I can do both, I tried spinning, but i actually find it easier to grind, some if not all the way, though it's took me nearly 8 months to get to be able to do this and judging where to change, it also depends on the hill.
To be honest, grinding as actually helped me increase my fitness/strength on hills, and consequently on the flat. My bike is geared slightly lower than most road bikes, so its a bit bobbins going down the steeper ones, I tend to spin out about 28mph, I am looking at changing the front rings when finance allows.
The other thing it seems to be doing, (contry to advise I have read else wear), is it has actually helped my right leg to strengthen ( I suffered a compression injury to it several years ago, feel onto my heel breaking a bone in my foot and damage up my leg), when I started cycling in June I would more often than not get a sharp pain lower thigh just above/behind the kneecap, this still happens but not as often, all I do/did is easy back a little and it goes.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Yup, and and with you being a spinner, regarding the grinders, it's a shame and they jus can't stop it. At least you're not one of a kind.

... http://music.yahoo.com/spinners/tracks/

 

[Fab Foodie]

You do what feels right for you and gets the best power to output ratio.

And that's it in a nutshell.
Again as with a lot of other stuff in cycling it's a subject about which a lot of guff is spoken.
Gears are there to optimise your pedalling, so you change gear to allow your legs/body to work most comfortably, just like driving a car. Recent studies show (with no great surprise) that an individuals 'natural' cadence is also their most effective.
However ... having said that, if you're new to cycling it doesn't hurt to experiment either.
I've tried the spinning thing and it simply doesn't work for me. I'm naturally happier and faster pushing a bigger gear and prefer to climb out of the saddle.

As for downhill ... that's when the aerobelly kicks in and if the surface is good and sightlines permit it's time to push as hard as possible in the big ring ... 40mph on a bike is a blast, 50mph is mind-bending!

 

[Powely]

I definitely prefer to spin. Grinding the big gears seems to much hard work for me.

 

[ianrauk]

I definitely prefer to spin. Grinding the big gears seems to much hard work for me.

Better for your knees too.

 

[Powely]

Better for your knees too.

Yeah never thought like that but I suppose it would be. Good to know, I am falling to bits as it is!

 

[Marshmallow_Fluff]

Yeah never thought like that but I suppose it would be. Good to know, I am falling to bits as it is!

Saves you lots of energy as well..

..for the next hill.. and the one after..

Keeping pedalling in your descents helps you get rid of the lactic acid (or at least stops it from piling up).

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

40mph on a bike is a blast, 50mph is mind-bending!

At my age it's freakin' awesome, frightening and one mofo adrenalin rush.
You look down at the tyre thinking..."what if?...", you feel your wheels flexing in the bend at 46mph and think the same.
You then wait for the next fat incline and think....." Come get some"

 

[Wigbank]

Hahaha I love that "what if the front wheel falls off" moment

 

[Fab Foodie]

At my age it's freakin' awesome, frightening and one mofo adrenalin rush.
You look down at the tyre thinking..."what if?...", you feel your wheels flexing in the bend at 46mph and think the same.
You then wait for the next fat incline and think....." Come get some"

Coming down Ventoux averaging 40mph was one of the best ~20mins of my life!
Fast descents in the dark are what adrenalin was made for ... unreal. Though I know I shouldn't do it.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Better for your knees too.

I am not to sure on this, mine seem to be getting better, but that could just be the general exercise, also the pain in my right thigh seems to be moving up as though what damage here was is actually repairing itself