Bicycle gears how do they work

You shift gears by sliding the shifter on the handlebars. On most bikes, this shifts the chain onto a different sized ring. Downshifting means going to a lower gear, and upshifting means going to a higher gear. You can also say shift down and shift up. You can skip the rest of this section and go on to the next one.

Your left shifter will be labeled , and your right shifter will be labeled This means that for each number on the left, you get six different speeds on the right, for a total of Shifting moves the chain onto a different ring. Moving the lever changes where the chain is. The left shifter changes the ring next to the pedals. The smallest ring is 1, the middle ring is 2, and the biggest ring is 3.

The right shifter changes the ring on the rear wheel. This is opposite of the front set: On the rear wheel the biggest ring is 1, and the smallest ring is 6. You can downshift with either shifter, moving it from a higher number to a smaller number. You get a bigger change when you shift with the left-hand shifter than when you shift with the right-hand shifter. The solution? Downshift to first gear.

How does that solve the problem? Twisting the dial forward will move the chain into a smaller, harder gear in the rear right hand and a smaller, easier gear in the front left hand. Twisting the dial back will move the chain into a larger, easier gear in the rear right hand and a larger, harder gear in the front left hand. In these positions, the chain is stretched at an angle that can cause damage to the drivetrain over time. Additionally, the chain could slip or cause the front derailleur to make noise and not work properly.

The trim allows you to make small adjustments to the front derailleur that will eliminate chain rub, but not cause a full shift into another chain ring. So, if you are in the largest chain ring and begin to shift into the larger cogs on the cassette with your right hand you may start to hear a grinding noise that indicates your chain is rubbing against the front derailleur.

You can click the small lever with your left hand once to move the front derailleur slightly and accommodate this chain position. Similarly, if you are in the smallest chain ring and begin to shift into smaller cogs on the cassette and start to notice a grinding noise, you can move the derailleur slightly by clicking once on the larger lever with your left hand.

So often, we see people putting too much power into their pedals as they climb up a steep hill in the big chain ring or legs flailing as they spin out on a gear that is too easy for the descent they are riding.

Your goal while riding should be to keep a cadence the speed at which your pedals make a full rotation that as consistent as possible! To do that, it requires one of two things: shifting or increased power output. The thing about power output is, unless you are wonder woman, you have a limited supply.

We suggest shifting often for increased efficiency while riding. Pro Tip: Begin to shift into easier gears with your right hand early to keep a steady cadence. Remember, your right hand is for small changes in the terrain. If you find that your pedaling pace is slowing drastically, you will likely need to use the front derailleur your left hand to make the gearing much easier for the big climb ahead.

You will shift, hear a grinding noise but nothing will happen and you will likely come to a stop in the middle of the hill. Instead of grinding those gears, you will need to put a little more power into your pedal stroke right before you shift then, lighten up on your pedal stroke as you shift. With less pressure on your chain, your derailleur will have an easier time popping your chain off the big ring and into a smaller one! What Does it all Mean?! The cranks drive the gears directly and the output is converted in the gearbox and then transmitted to the back wheel via a chain.

One of the most exciting development in recent times is the Pinion gearbox. However, in general, gearboxes remain a niche in the bike world. Both gearboxes and hub gears can also be used with belt drives. This requires even less maintenance than a chain because there are no links to lube, meaning they are also much cleaner than an oily chain.

However, only certain frames are compatible with a belt drive. Because the belt is a continuous loop, the frame requires removable dropouts or a chainstay splitter that lets you thread the belt into the rear triangle. The majority of gears on bikes today are actuated by metal cables — bowden cables to use their proper name. However electronic drivetrains have been on the market for some time now, and are only likely to become more widespread as time goes on.

Instead of cables, the gear is shifted by an electronically controlled motor. The primary benefit is consistency. While cables can develop slop and stretch over time, an electronic drivetrain will maintain accurate shifting in all conditions.

Of course, the drawbacks are that batteries need to be charged though not on a particularly regular basis and, currently, the expense. Even Rohloff now offers electronic shifting for its speed hub gear.

Singlespeed bikes use a single cog that can freewheel and allows the rear wheel to rotate without the pedals moving. The main benefit is simplicity, with low maintenance requirements and low cost.

Shifters for the front and for the rear will be separate, located on the left and right side of your bars respectively. There are a few different shifter designs available.

Nowadays, the trigger shifter is the most wide-spread design. It has two levers under the bars, which can be actuated with your thumbs or fingers: one to shift up and one to shift down. Depending on the design, you may be able to change multiple gears at once or not. Shimano also has some designs that integrate shifter and brake lever into one unit. The shifter integrates with the grip on your bars, and you change gears up or down by twisting the shifter — similar to the throttle on a motorbike.

Modern gears are indexed, meaning that a click on the gear shifter corresponds directly to a gear change. In the past, shifters did not have this defined click and instead, the shifter was held in place by friction and moved continuously until the gear changed. In some rare cases, you may still encounter such thumb shifters.

Again, there are a few different designs available. Your gears convert your input at the cranks into an output at the back wheel.

Your cadence how quickly you are pedalling is converted into different speeds at your back wheel depending on whether you are in a high or low gear.

Your gear development — how far your bike moves with each pedal stroke — is typically described in gear inches i. Gear inches can give you a good idea of how hard or easy the gears are, with ranges around 20 inches being easy, 70 inches being medium and above inches getting quite hard.

Gear range is often specified as a percentage that describes the overall range offered by the system. That means that a per cent range would offer a ratio. Pedalling in the highest gear would move you three times as far forward per pedal stroke as in the lowest gear. For external drivetrains, the gear range can be calculated by taking the ratio of the largest and smallest chainring teeth at the chainset multiplied by the ratio of the largest and smallest sprocket on the cassette.

The cassette specs will typically be identified by the smallest and largest sprocket.