Tip of the Month: Using gears to your advantage
One of the more common questions we get, especially from customers looking to purchase a new bicycle is, "21 speeds!?! Why do I need all those gears?" Most multi-speed bikes come with at least 21 speeds, meaning the bike has 21 gear combinations.
If you are a new rider, those gears can be confusing and overwhelming at first glance. With a little bit of practice, however, you'll be shifting almost intuitively and using your bike's gears to make your ride much easier. Here are 4 tips on how to use your gears to your advantage.
1. Don't Shift Under Pressure
Let's start with the basics: try not to shift your bike under pressure. This can cause the chain to skip and damage your drive train. If you suddenly come up on a hill and need to downshift into a lower gear, keep pedaling, but not under force.
2. Using the Front (Left) Shifter
Most drive train systems have three gears up front. These are controlled by your left shifter and may be marked on the shifter as "1", "2" and "3". The lowest gear is "1". This is the easiest to pedal. This would be like first gear on a car - not very fast, but great for climbing a steep hill. Three is your highest gear, the one you would use if you were riding down a hill.
3. Using the Back (Right) Shifter
Typically, the back "cluster" of gears will contain seven or eight gears. These are controlled by your right shifter. These may be marked on the shifter as "1" through "7" or "8". Again, "1" is your easiest gear.
Putting these together, shifting to "1" on the front shifter and "1" on the back shifter creates the easiest gear on your bicycle. You may only use it once during a ride to get up a steep hill, but if you didn't have it, you would have to get off of your bike and walk it up a hill.
Conversely, shifting to "3" on the front shifter and "7" or "8" on the back shifter will put the bike in to your highest gear. This gear works great for riding down a hill or riding with a stiff tailwind on a flat surface.
Most of the time, you'll find yourself using the middle gear on the front shifter ("2") and one of the middle gears on the back shifter. This middle gear allows you to use the full range of gears on the back shifter.
4. Don't Cross the Chain
In order to minimize wear and tear on your drive train, try not to use the full range of rear gears when you're in either the small or large front gears ("1" or "3"). 
Every now and then is OK, but excessive use of "cross" gears (see illustration at right) puts your chain on too great an angle and can cause noise and shifting problems in addition to excessive wear of your components.
For more information on shifting, call or stop by The Bicycle Wheel today. We are your first and last stop for all of your cycling needs!
