36
Tech
Pedals
pressure on the pedals for an instant to
allow the hub to complete the shift.
Which gear should I be in?
The numerically lowest gear (1) is for the
steepest hills. The numerically largest gear
is for the greatest speed.
Shifting from an easier, “slower” gear (like
1) to a harder, “faster” gear (like 2 or 3) is
called an upshift. Shifting from a harder,
“faster” gear to an easier, “slower” gear is
called a downshift. It is not necessary to
shift gears in sequence. Instead, fi nd the
“starting gear” for the conditions — a gear
which is hard enough for quick acceleration
but easy enough to let you start from a stop
without wobbling — and experiment with
upshifting and downshifting to get a feel for
the different gears. At fi rst, practice shifting
where there are no obstacles, hazards or
other traffi c, until you’ve built up your con-
fi dence. Learn to anticipate the need to
shift, and shift to a lower gear before the
hill gets too steep. If you have diffi culties
with shifting, the problem could be mechan-
ical adjustment. See your dealer for help.
What if it won’t shift gears?
If moving the shift control one click
repeatedly fails to result in a smooth shift
to the next gear chances are that the mech-
anism is out of adjustment. Take the bike
to your dealer to have it adjusted.
Pedals
Toe Overlap is when your toe can touch
the front wheel when you turn the handle-
bars to steer while a pedal is in the forward-
most position. This is common on small-
framed bicycles, and is avoided by keeping
the inside pedal up and the outside pedal
down when making sharp turns. On any
bicycle, this technique will also prevent
the inside pedal from striking the ground
in a turn.
Toe Overlap could cause you to lose con-
trol and fall. Ask your dealer to help you
determine if the combination of frame
size, crank arm length, pedal design
and shoes you will use results in pedal
overlap. Whether you have overlap or
not, you must keep the inside pedal up
and the outside pedal down when mak-
ing sharp turns.
Some bicycles come equipped with ped-
als that have sharp and potentially danger-
ous surfaces. These surfaces are designed
to add safety by increasing grip between the
rider’s shoe and the pedal. If your bicycle
has this type of high-performance pedal,
you must take extra care to avoid serious
injury from the pedals’ sharp surfaces.
Based on your riding style or skill level,
you may prefer a less aggressive pedal
design, or chose to ride with shin pads. Your
dealer can show you a number of options
and make suitable recommendations.
Toeclips and straps are a means to keep
feet correctly positioned and engaged with
the pedals. The toeclip positions the ball of
the foot over the pedal spindle, which gives
maximum pedaling power. The toe strap,
when tightened, keeps the foot engaged
throughout the rotation cycle of the pedal.
While toeclips and straps give some ben-
efi t with any kind of shoe, they work most
effectively with cycling shoes designed for
use with toeclips. Your dealer can explain
how toeclips and straps work. Shoes with
deep treaded soles or welts which might
