CITY MODEL 1 • VERSION 1
D. Shifting gears
Your multi-speed Ebike will have a derailleur drivetrain (see 1. below), an internal gear hub
drivetrain (see 2. below) or, in some special cases, a combination of the two.
CAUTION: Your Ebike has speed enhancement through a motor, throttle, and
additional Ebike components. See Section H. NOTE: added speed will increase need for
added braking and awareness. Use of Ebike features is and can be a dangerous and is
an increased risk for injury, serious injury or death. Know your bike and your own
limitations and always wear a helmet and other appropriate safety gear and know your
local laws and regulations.
1. How a derailleur drivetrain works
If your Ebike has a derailleur drivetrain, the gear-changing mechanism will have:
• a rear cassette or freewheel sprocket cluster
• a rear derailleur
• usually, a front derailleur
• one or two shifters
• one, two or three front sprockets called chainrings
• a drive chain
a. Shifting Gears
There are several different types and styles of shifting controls: levers, twist grips, triggers,
combination shift/brake controls and pushbuttons. Please contact BIKE.com at [email protected]
or call at 1-(877)-755-2453(BIKE) or ask your dealer for all service to explain the type of shifting
controls that are on your Ebike, and to show you how they work.
The vocabulary of shifting can be pretty confusing. A downshift is a shift to a “lower” or “slower”
gear, one that is easier to pedal. An upshift is a shift to a “higher” or “faster”, harder to pedal
gear. What’s confusing is that what’s happening at the front derailleur is the opposite of what’s
happening at the rear derailleur (for details, read the instructions on Shifting the Rear Derailleur
and Shifting the Front Derailleur below). For example, you can select a gear which will make
pedaling easier on a hill (make a downshift) in one of two ways: shift the chain down the gear
“steps” to a smaller gear at the front, or up the gear “steps” to a larger gear at the rear.
So, at the rear gear cluster, what is called a downshift looks like an upshift. The way to keep
things straight is to remember that shifting the chain in towards the centerline of the Ebike is
for accelerating and climbing and is called a downshift. Moving the chain out or away from the
centerline of the Ebike is for speed and is called an upshift.
Whether upshifting or downshifting, the Ebike derailleur system design requires that the drive
chain be moving forward and be under at least some tension. A derailleur will shift only if you
are pedaling forward.
CAUTION: Never move the shifter while pedaling backward, nor pedal backwards
immediately after having moved the shifter. This could jam the chain and cause serious
damage to the Ebike.
