aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,503
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
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Quoted: 7348 Post(s)
We often call it cross chaining. It's better if you avoid it, but I don't have a hard and fast rule for myself. I might shift into one of the cross-chaining combos, especially the one we call big-big. If it's the right ratio for the moment, I'll ride it, but I'll move out of it soon enough.
You can practice looking down at the chain on your cassette to keep track of what gear you're in. But it's not essential to do this, especially when traffic and maneuvering are tricky.
It should not be necessary to shift in the back to prepare for a front shift. Shift the front slowly and gently. It's a big difference in gear sizes, so it's a tougher job for the derailleur to do.