Hi all. I was wondering how you guys use the gearing on your bicycle.

I ride away in first gear, and I shift up at 15km/h and at 25km/h. Fourth gear is rarely used, and only at very high speeds. The bike only has four gears. Yes I ride fast: my cruising speed is usually about 30km/h, depending on the wind. The roads within 5km from here are almost completely flat.

My parents said it was silly that I ride my bicycle this way. They only use one gear, from 0 to 20km/h, and they said that if I'd keep riding like this, I'd break the transmission. What the fu- .

Who do you agree with? Should I use just one gear or many? Mind you, first gear is long enough to reach 25km/h if I'd pedal very very quickly.

The bike doesn't have a regular mountainbike transmission. Instead, it has a Shimano Nexus transmission, which means that it only has one front and one rear sprocket.

I think you are overdue for your first gyno visit.

Quote from Osco :

I think you are overdue for your first gyno visit.

wat

Hi Mrs. Underskoar!

They're talking rubbish. Gears are made to be shifted.

Erik, I think you are bored ...

well, since my bike has 21 gears, and starting in the highest would eventually kill the chain (been there, done that), I start in a lower one.

Quote from ACCAkut :

Erik, I think you are bored ...

I'm trying to optimise my performance. Not only do I focus on using the right gear, I also use a racing line through corners when possible.

i used to shift a lot when riding my bike.
makes acclerating much easier and with some practice its very fast.
never had a transmission break on me even tho i always rode cheap crap bikes from discounters and such (and i didnt maintain them all to well either :shhh: ).

Get a single speed bike and avoid all of these problems

break the transmission xD

I mostly stick to my hardest gear when on flat roads, because my MTB has topspeeds of 40kph only, while pedaling really hard. :|

But your parents are just being rurally careful, don't listen to them.

21-gears. I tend to start off in (hi-lo) 1-3, 1-5 then 2-1. After getting up to a comfortable speed, I change to whichever gear retains my comfort-zone RPM.

Screw gears...

Getting a bike with variomatik will fix your problems.

you should change gears to maintain the same amount of resistance. (21 speed bike)steep hill = 1st-7th, flat road= 8th- 14th, downhill= 15th-21st. 15th -21st is mostly for speed. you should never be going flat out (leisure or commuting)in case you need to give a bit extra to avoid something.
think of your centre crank as the "situation gear" uphill, flat and down hill. the rear crank is used to maintain the resistance. you should also have the saddle set up correctly, the saddle should be high enough for you not to be fully extending your legs when pedalling. handlebars should be slightly lower than the saddle. this makes it easier to pedal as you tend to think you're always going downhill.

That's exactly how I ride my bike

to add, you should also pedal with the ball of your foot too.

Quote from dadge :

you should also have the saddle set up correctly, the saddle should be high enough for you not to be fully extending your legs when pedalling. handlebars should be slightly lower than the saddle. this makes it easier to pedal as you tend to think you're always going downhill.

oh damn. my bike is all wrong then

if you look at this pic:

you can see the height difference in the handle bars and the saddle. he's also using the ball of his feet on the pedals.

When jumping lower saddle to almost full to prevent anal penetration.

Dadge, how about my bike? I got a Trek L300 with 7 gears (I miss my previous L300 with 8 gears :razz.

I got my position right I believe.

As you seem so smart on this, how about the angle of the saddle? Should it be levelled, or pointing down/up ?

Bose slightly upwards I find more comfoy but everyone has thier own preference. have a play with it. (and the saddle)

that guy is def not doing any jumps

Quote from Bose321 :

Dadge, how about my bike? I got a Trek L300 with 7 gears (I miss my previous L300 with 8 gears :razz.

I got my position right I believe.

As you seem so smart on this, how about the angle of the saddle? Should it be levelled, or pointing down/up ?

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/5752838/ perfect positions for me!

Quote from Bose321 :

Dadge, how about my bike? I got a Trek L300 with 7 gears (I miss my previous L300 with 8 gears :razz.

I got my position right I believe.

As you seem so smart on this, how about the angle of the saddle? Should it be levelled, or pointing down/up ?

your bike is mainly for flat ground. and the seat position as said should be adjusted to your own comfort. you're not going to be ripping up many mountain trails with that bike so saddle position would be more of a comfort thing than anything else. thin round tyres would be perfect for your bike too.

Quote from Tomba(FIN) :

that guy is def not doing any jumps




http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/5752838/ perfect positions for me!

trails bike is a completely different beast m8. for competition, you'd remove the seat altogether. single geared too for an even torque/speed balance. like a BMX with mountain bike handle bars.

Thats a jump bike not a trials bike though.