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7. Tech.indd
Last Modifi ed March 24, 2015 12:44 PM
Tech
Shifting gears
leur to move the chain from one sprocket to
another, the rider must be pedaling forward.
Shifting the Front Derailleur
The front derailleur, which is controlled
by the left shifter, shifts the chain between
the larger and smaller chainrings. Shifting
the chain onto a smaller chainring makes
pedaling easier (a downshift). Shifting to
a larger chainring makes pedaling harder
(an upshift).
Which gear should I be in?
The combination of largest rear and
smallest front gears (fi g. 4-10 ) is for the
steepest hills. The smallest rear and larg-
est front combination is for the greatest
speed. It is not necessary to shift gears in
sequence. Instead, fi nd the “starting gear”
which is right for your level of ability — a
gear which is hard enough for quick accel-
eration 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 gear combinations. At
fi rst, practice shifting where there are no
obstacles, hazards or other traffi c, until
you’ve built up your confi 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 prob-
lem could be mechanical adjustment. See
your dealer for help.
Never shift a derailleur onto the largest
or the smallest sprocket if the derailleur
is not shifting smoothly. The derailleur
may be out of adjustment and the chain
could jam, causing you to lose control
and fall.
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.
How an internal gear hub
drivetrain works
If your bicycle has an internal gear hub
drivetrain, the gear changing mechanism
will consist of:
A 3, 5, 7, 8, 12 speed or possibly an
infi nitely variable internal gear hub
One, or sometimes two shifters
One or two control cables
One front sprocket called a chainring
A drive chain
Shifting internal gear hub gears
Shifting with an internal gear hub drive-
train is simply a matter of moving the shifter
to the indicated position for the desired gear
ratio. After you have moved the shifter to
the gear position of your choice, ease the
fig. 4-10
