How & When To Change Gear On A Road Bike

- If you're new to cycling, then using gears
and gear selection can be quite complicated.
There's so many other different things to think about
that if it's not second nature to you,
it can be very easy to get it wrong,
or not to bother at all.
- That's right.
So, if that is you, then don't fear,
because coming up is GCN's very own
beginners' guide to using road bike gears.
(modern techno music)
- So first, let's have a look at how they work.
Now, most modern road bikes have the gear shifters
integrated into the brakes, so brake on the left hand side,
well this actually shifts the front mech,
changing the big ring down into the small ring.
And on the right hand side, the brake, here,
that actually shifts the rear mech, so changing
from the big cog to the small cog and vice versa.
Now, the bigger the cog at the back, the easier the gear,
but the reverse can be said for the front.
So, the bigger the chain ring on the front,
the harder it is to pedal.
As clear as mud?
We know.
When you swing both of the levers inward,
so the right and the left, firstly on the right,
the lever being swung inwards changes you to a bigger
cog at the back, which actually makes it easier.
Now on here, I've got electric gears,
so I'm just using the paddles.
Now, on the left hand side,
when you swing the mechanical lever inwards
or tap the electric paddle, it makes it
or turns onto a bigger cog at the front or chain ring,
which is actually harder, and then,
when you've tapped the paddles or the button
on the mechanical system, the opposite happens.
(techno music)
- So now you know what lever does what.
When should you be using them?
Well, for the vast majority of the time,
you will be using your right hand
to change gears at the back.
The reason being that the actual differences
between the gears are much smaller back here,
so that when you do change gears,
actually the rate at which you pedal,
or your cadence, changes only slightly.
Now, it's only when you get to the extreme ends
of those sprockets at the back, so those really big ones
or the really small ones, that you then think about
using your left hand to change into a different chain ring,
and therefore make a bigger jump.
The only thing you need to bear in mind with your gears
is they are there to help you.
They're there to help you pedal at the right cadence.
Now, what that might be does very much depend on you,
but we'd say generally we want to be looking at
about 80 revolutions per minute.
That would be kinda normal.
(techno music)
- So, now you know how to change gear
and when to change gear.
Now, here's a few pointers of how to get
the best out of your gears.
- Yeah, firstly, you want to avoid at all costs
if you can, changing gear when you're pressing
really hard on the pedals, particularly
from the big to the small chain rings at the front.
Now, ideally you want to actually anticipate
when you're gonna need to change gears.
So, if you look ahead, you'll be able to see
when you're coming up to a climb
or a sharp corner or a road junction,
and in all those instances, you're then gonna wanna go
from that big chain ring to the smaller one.
- Yeah, anticipating what's up ahead
and getting your gear change nice and early
is something that we'd really recommend.
Otherwise, you risk getting bogged down
in the gear that you're in.
Now, there's nothing wrong at all
in spinning a low gear momentarily
a bit longer than you'd like, but don't worry,
'cause soon the gradient will kick in
and you'll be in the right gear at the right time.
- Yeah, do bear in mind as well,
for some more advanced technique, for when you are changing
between chain rings at the front,
there's quite a big jump between the two.
And so, to make that jump seem slightly smaller,
try changing gear at the back,
just one or two gears at the same time.
So, if you're going from the small chain ring
to the big chain ring, you then go
up a couple of gears at the back.
It's gonna make the jump a little bit less.
It doesn't come naturally, that,
but it's definitely worth practicing .
- That's a blooming top tip, though.
- Top tip.
- Now, one thing that you should try and avoid,
although, I must admit we've all done it
from time to time, and I am actually doing it now,
just for effect, is cross-chaining.
Now, cross-chaining is when you have your chain
on the big chain ring at the front
and the big cog at the back, or conversely,
the small chain ring at the front
and the smallest cog at the back.
Now, that actually puts a lot of
strain on your chain and also your rear mech.
I'm gonna change back, now.
- Well, speak for yourself, Matt,
but I'm actually allowed to cross-chain.
- Are you? - Yeah.
Now, it's slightly confusing, I know,
but there are different manufacturers of gears
with slightly subtle differences.
I'm using some called SRAM,
and I am in fact allowed to cross-chain.
They're designed to do that.
Now, those subtle differences are actually something
that we have explored in the past.
We've got a video all about that
that we'll link to just very shortly.
Before we do that, I'm just gonna remind you,
do make sure you subscribe to GCN.
It's completely free to do it, you just click on the globe
and you'll be there in the right place
for all future content still to come.
- Now, the video that Simon so well referenced
just a few moments ago, Gear Shifters Explained,
how about clicking just down here.
And for how to index your gears, click just down here.
And don't forget to like and share this video, too.
- Oh, yeah.
I'm just gonna cross-chain, am I?
- Yeah, go for it.
Well, you're allowed, I'm not.
- Yep.
- I know.

How & When To Change Gear On A Road Bike | GCN's Pro Tips

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