Are You Shifting Gears the Right Way?

Are you shifting gears the right way? Learning how to shift gears is an important step in biking. Unless you are cycling on flat, even terrain 100% of the time, you’ll need to change gears; otherwise, you’ll be wasting energy — lots of energy. But what is the correct way to change gears on a bike?

While different bikes have different gear setups, most bikes feature between two or three chainrings towards the front and between seven and eleven gears towards the back. When you move the chain from the smallest gear in the back to the largest allows you to peddle more easily. On the other hand, moving the gear between the chainrings towards the front will allow you to pedal faster.

If you look closely at the brake levers on your bike, you’ll notice a small lever underneath the brake, which rotates inward. By engaging this lever, it will place the chain on one of the smaller gears towards the front. The lever on the right of your handlebar controls the rear gears. If all of this sounds too confusing, refer to your owner’s manual for more information. It should reveal the exact gears featured on your bike, as well as their respective function.

When riding your bike, you generally want to remain in the largest chain wheel, as this allows for easier, more efficient peddling. You’ll need to adjust the right-hand gears, however, to keep your spin rate and pedal pressure properly optimized. Feel free to experiment with different gears to see what works best in different circumstances. Shifting to a higher gear, for instance, may allow you to climb steep hills with greater ease, whereas shifting to a lower gear may help when going to downhill.

The single most important thing to remember is that you should constantly peddle when shifting gears. Many beginners make the mistake of stopping peddling when they change gears. In order for the gears to shift smoothly, they must maintain the same pedal pressure throughout — no more, or no less than before the gear change. Failure to maintain a uniform peddle pressure throughout the gear shift could result in the chain slipping off, at which point you’ll have to stop and manually place it back on the gear.

Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of gear shifting. You can always refer to your bike’s owners manual for more information.