Knowing how and when to change the gears on your bicycle isn’t one of the things that’s instantly innate to most riders. It seems like it’s a simple thing to do, but somehow it becomes more complicated; and a lot of people new to bicycle gear shifting feel frustrated the first few times as they shift into a much easier or harder gear than what they really need or wanted.
The actual bicycle gear shifting (the clicking from one gear to the next) is not at all difficult. It is simply a matter of getting the feel for going down or up in the range of gears. The good news is that the skill of shifting gears smoothly is about 80% practice and 20% understanding what’s going on. In no time, you will be shifting like a professional rider, smoothly shifting gears without even thinking about it.
So why bicycles have gears? What does bicycle gear shifting do?
Bicycles have gears to maintain your speed and to have a steady level of effort, whether you are going uphill or downhill. Your speed or cadence may change, but with your gears, you can ascend without killing yourself; and go fast on a descent while your pedaling still pushing your bicycle forward and not simply twirling ineffectively.
This is how it works. If you only ride on flat level road at a constant pace, you won’t need gears at all. But the world is certainly not flat, and there are hills that we need to conquer when we ride. Bicycle gear shifting allows you to keep pedaling comfortably, regardless of the incline. However, easier pedaling on an ascend means riding slower. And to ride fast down a hill, use a gear that’s higher than you normally use to ride on flat road or to start out. In both instances, your pedaling effort feels just about the same. This is because the gear system makes adjustments to enable you to either ride faster or climb easier than you would if your bike had only one gear.
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