Quick Beginners Cycling Tips: How to Use Your Gears

Whether you ride a mountain bike, a road bike or a commuter bike – in fact, pretty much any bike – you’ll have gears. They are the mechanical wonders that will allow you to accelerate to wind whistling speed along flat smooth roads, or power your way up a steep rocky climb without bursting a lung.

Learn how to use your bike gears, and you’ll be rewarded with a smooth, fast, and fun ride. These top tips will get you up to speed in no time. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist!)

1. Practice Makes Perfect

You’ll be using your bike gears a lot, and the chances are you’ll get plenty of practice in as you ride anyway, but if you’re new to cycling, have just got a new bike or changed bike, then spend some time getting used to how the gears change.

Ride up a down a fairly quiet road or path and practice shifting up and down the gears, both front and back, until you can change change gear almost instinctively. It will help you on those moments halfway up a climb when you realise you’re in too hard a gear and need to shift quickly!

2. Right = Rear, Left = Front

Most bikes will have two sets of gear cogs. The front set, known as the chainrings, will give you big changes in gear. The front derailleur that shifts the chain between these chainrings is controlled by the left gear lever (or shifter).

The rear cogs (or sprockets) together form the cassette, and the derailleur that shifts the chain up and down these is controlled by the right shifter.

3. Don’t cross the chain!

It’s really tempting to stay on one chainring, and just shift the gears at the back. That’s mostly fine, except for one thing. You really need to avoid using the opposite extreme ends of the gears. So for example don’t use the smallest cogs on the back and the front, or the largest cogs on the back and the front. This pulls the chain between them at an angle, which can cause it to stretch and deform.

It’s not a problem immediately (though it can make a racket), but over time it can wear out both your chain and gears, leading to costly repairs.

4. Anticipate the hill

When you are approaching a hill, get ready to start shifting down the gears as soon as the hill starts. That way, you won’t be caught in too hard a gear halfway up, unable to pedal, which means you might have to get off and walk.

It’s much easier to get up hills, particularly long or steep ones, if you shift to the easiest gear and spin your legs. Shifting to the right gear at the right time for you will take a bit of practice, so it’s better to go to too easy a gear then shift up than the other way round.

If you do find yourself in too hard a gear on a climb, try and ride sideways across the slope and change gear. If the chain is under a lot of pressure, like when you are pedaling up a hill, it can’t shift properly. Riding something flatter even temporarily will hopefully relieve the pressure enough to allow you to get to an easier gear.

5. Left = big changes, Right = fine tuning

If you’ve got a hill coming up, it’s quicker to shift down using the left shifter, which will shift the front gears, rather than the right which controls the rear gears. This will take you to an easier gear, and then you can fine tune using the rear gears.

6. Don’t shift too quickly

If you are accelerating down a hill or on the flat, it’s tempting to shift up to a higher gear as quickly as possible. On some bikes, this can cause the chain to jump off the gears completely, which means you’ll have to stop and put it back on, which usually means greasy black fingers. Shift gradually, making sure the chain has engaged with each new gear before moving onto the next one. Different gear systems will respond differently to get to know how sensitive your bike is to this.

Want more detailed information, or want to find out how gears and your pedaling cadence work together? Click here to get that gear.safety tips can help you get there safe and sound. Check out more posts on this site and some outdoor equipment onZOOKKI to explore other safety tips you can use every day.

Ideas for staying Safe While Cycling

1. Wear a helmet. A helmet can’t be 100 percent guaranteed to save your life, but it’s always going to give you better odds than going bare-headed. If fashion deters you from biking safety, check out the Holding airbag for cyclists.
2. Be seen. Dress like a fluorescent peacock—wear bright colors and reflective clothing, especially in the early morning, late at night, or on cloudy days.
3. Protect yourself from the sun. Wear sunscreen, especially on the back of your neck. Wear long sleeves with breathable fabric. Wear sunglasses.
4. Know the weather forecast. Wear waterproof gear as needed. You might even carry a small backpack to hold lightweight extra layers and other essentials for every ride.
5. Install rearview mirrors on your handlebars or helmet. You should still learn to look over your shoulder without swerving, but mirrors will help you see what’s behind you at all times.
6. Be alert. Never ride with headphones or an earpiece. You need to hear everything you possibly can.
7. Ride with a buddy. Two cyclists will be more visible than one. Plus, if something happens to you, your buddy may be able to facilitate the emergency response process (and vice versa).
8. Get creative with your route. When you’re cycling, getting there in one piece is more important than getting there faster. Choose roads that are extremely wide or have dedicated bike lanes. Opt for quieter neighborhood roads over high-traffic ones, especially on weekends when there may be more drunk drivers.
9. Carry a patch kit at all times. Learning to patch up your own flat tire can prevent you from being stranded in an unsafe or remote location.
10. Carry a cell phone and ID. If you don’t have a patch kit and need a ride, your cell phone will come in handy. If something bad happens to you, your ID will help emergency responders know who you are and how to help you.
11. Bring a few dollars cash. If you find yourself without a patch kit or phone, cash is a great last resort for catching a cab or a bus home.
12. Bring drinking water for longer rides. This is especially important if you’re mountain biking.
13. Know the bike safety rules for your state. Check out this list compiled by the League of American Bicyclists.
14. safety tips can help you get there safe and sound. Check out more posts on this site and some outdoor equipment onZOOKKI to explore other safety tips you can use every day.