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Gear change progression?

Old 08-10-20, 03:56 PM
  #26  
sovende
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I use Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator to determine "Gear Inches" for a particular bike. I print the chart out and tape it to the top of the stem so it's easily visible when riding. The chart allows me to easily determine which chainring-cog combination is next in the shifting progression. Many times different chainwheel-cog combinations will result in similar gearing. It's too much trouble to memorize these similar combinations. The chart will help a rider shift in a progression that minimizes duplication.
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Old 08-10-20, 04:48 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by sovende
I use Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator to determine "Gear Inches" for a particular bike. I print the chart out and tape it to the top of the stem so it's easily visible when riding. The chart allows me to easily determine which chainring-cog combination is next in the shifting progression. Many times different chainwheel-cog combinations will result in similar gearing. It's too much trouble to memorize these similar combinations. The chart will help a rider shift in a progression that minimizes duplication.
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Old 08-10-20, 04:55 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Back in the days of the 10 speeds, a rider had to do a few double shifts to get progression. That meant he had to shift both the derailer and the chain rings. Really dumb IMO.
Double-shifting is actually extremely easy to do on bikes equipped with downtube shifters. And on modern Di2 setups, it will double-shift for you in synchro mode. It's actually a very smart way to use all of your gears.
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Old 08-10-20, 05:06 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by DaveSSS
The big ring is used until the next to largest sprocket is used.
Ah yes, the Big Ring Riding state of mind. I see you are a cyclist of culture, as well.
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Old 08-10-20, 05:12 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I'm a genetic freak
Do you also enjoy wearing chainmail headdresses and do you have a penchant for mathematics dealing with combined probabilities expressed as fractions?

Steiner_Math.mp4
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Old 08-10-20, 05:22 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by BoraxKid
Do you also enjoy wearing chainmail headdresses and do you have a penchant for mathematics dealing with combined probabilities expressed as fractions?

Steiner_Math.mp4

I had to google that. Ouch. I'll stick with being Popeye -identified.
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Old 08-10-20, 05:57 PM
  #32  
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I'm pretty much with Warren. I have a 24-36-46 triple up front. Here, in Vermont, a lot of hills just lead to their opposite, no plateau so I'll be riding up in a very low gear, followed by a five gear shift to go down; or vice versa. With a seven speed freewheel it is really three separate ranges of 3, 4, and 3 speeds. Truthfully, the big ring and the three little cogs don't get a lot of exercise
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Old 08-10-20, 06:26 PM
  #33  
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Like most, i just change up or down to keep the cadence right, but realised the original setup on the bike required changing the front chain rings on the same rear cog for for the smallest incremental change on some of the cogs.
My ride originally had a 50/45/30 and a rear 6 speed 13-28. The biggest issue was that the highest ratio 50/13 wasnt really tall enough to pedal at an easy cadence with a tail wind/downhill etc. 13 is the smallest for my particular cluster so it was easier to swap out the 50 for a 54, which is perfect for the tail winds. Having put all the numbers in a spreadsheet, I have quite a few that are similar, and only use the three smallest cogs with the large front and spend most of the time on the middle chain ring(but fustrated with the gaps between ratios, possibly look at getting a close ration rear cluster for commuting), changing the front rings is clunky.
My only thought process is to try and not use the smallest cog at the back too much as given its the smallest it will wear out faster, whether I achieve that in my lifetime, dont know.
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Old 08-10-20, 06:31 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
BITD, simpler times, when asked what gear are you in the reply was like " my 42:16" ..







Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
In front, I use the large chainring about 95% of the time. The smaller one only gets used for steep climbs, riding slowly (on sidewalks, for example), getting started across a busy street after a stop, etc. Once I get going I'm right back into the big ring and I shift from gear to gear (large to small) in the back as I increase speed. Pretty simple really. I am sure most people do similar.

Some day I should try a triple-chainring bike. That extra sprocket will probably blow my mind!
You would love a triple. I'll never give mine up.
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Old 08-10-20, 06:33 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by sovende
I use Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator to determine "Gear Inches" for a particular bike. I print the chart out and tape it to the top of the stem so it's easily visible when riding. The chart allows me to easily determine which chainring-cog combination is next in the shifting progression. Many times different chainwheel-cog combinations will result in similar gearing. It's too much trouble to memorize these similar combinations. The chart will help a rider shift in a progression that minimizes duplication.
You can't be serious, really?

Edit: after seeing shelby's comment I realise I may have fallen for for a moment.

Last edited by spelger; 08-10-20 at 06:37 PM.
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Old 08-10-20, 06:53 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Back in the days of the 10 speeds, a rider had to do a few double shifts to get progression. That meant he had to shift both the derailer and the chain rings. Really dumb IMO.
I wouldn't call it dumb; it was just doing the best they could with the technology of the era.
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Old 08-10-20, 07:16 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
BITD, simpler times, when asked what gear are you in the reply was like " my 42:16" ..
Coincidentally, that is exactly the answer on my bikes. Both are 42/16 SS at the moment. 👍

Otto
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Old 08-10-20, 08:13 PM
  #38  
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Almost all bikes since the early 80s have had what is usually called "crossover" gearing. The basic idea is that you have one range of rear cogs for each chainring, so that you only need to shift the front once, usually accompanied by a 1 or 2 cog rear shift in the opposite direction.

so, using a 9 speed road bike, with 53/39 chainrings and a 12-27 cassette, starting from the lowest gear, the pattern is something like this:
(numbers are cogs, starting from the largest)

1->2->3->4->5->6
____________________<Front Shift>
_____________ ______________________4->5->6->7->8->9

So the crossover shift requires a double shift, up one in the front and down two in the back, to get the next gear in the progression. In reality, you'll likely only do this on the flats, especially if it's windy. Cresting a climb, especially in rolling hills, mostly it's just the front shift as you coast up to descending speed.

I find this graphical gear calculator to be really helpful in seeing what the gear intervals and shift patterns look like. Sheldon's gear calculator gives you the actual numbers and percentages, (cooked three different ways and served with or without fries,) and has the added bonus of letting you print out a properly-sized gear chart that you can tape to your stem.
Both are great, and should be used, played with, and pondered until Enlightenment is attained.

--Shannon
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Old 08-10-20, 08:30 PM
  #39  
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I gotta know gear inches. Front, back, big, small means nithing. Its gear inches that I go by. 88" gear is the "racers" gear. 84" gear is what Ray Booty broke the 4 hr 100 mile TT on. 67" is the early season fixie gear. Anything below 50" is a climbing gear.

I use a 2 × 5 setup. 42/55 with a 16-24. Big ring gives me 67, 75, 82, 93. Really nice progression of gears. The 42 gives me three low gears if I run into a hill.
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Old 08-10-20, 09:01 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by ShannonM
Sheldon's gear calculator gives you the actual numbers and percentages, (cooked three different ways and served with or without fries,) and has the added bonus of letting you print out a properly-sized gear chart that you can tape to your stem.
That would be great, except I already have a recipe for lasagna taped to my stem, and I find that more useful than a gear chart while I'm riding.
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Old 08-10-20, 09:04 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
That would be great, except I already have a recipe for lasagna taped to my stem, and I find that more useful than a gear chart while I'm riding.
Most traditional lasagna recipes seem to take 2-1/2 pages and like 9 hours...

How long is your stem??!!??

--Shannon
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Old 08-10-20, 09:29 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by DaveSSS
The big ring is used until the next to largest sprocket is used. If you need a lower/slower gear change to the little ring, usually followed by shifting 1 to 3 sprockets smaller. I always shift 2 and then adjust from there. If you get too bogged down before shifting to the little ring, no sprocket shifts may be needed.
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Old 08-10-20, 09:36 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by spelger
You can't be serious, really?

Edit: after seeing shelby's comment I realise I may have fallen for for a moment.
I do believe you did.

Good thing I was reading from the ground up or I might have bitten too.
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Old 08-11-20, 09:47 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by spelger
You can't be serious, really?

Edit: after seeing shelby's comment I realise I may have fallen for for a moment.
Yes, I'm serious! What could possibly be wrong with doing so?
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Old 08-11-20, 09:56 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
....I find that more useful than a gear chart while I'm riding.
You're not setting the bar very high there...
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Old 08-11-20, 11:16 AM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
You're not setting the bar very high there...
Of course not. Gear charts are for Technomics.

--Shannon
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Old 08-11-20, 11:31 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
You're not setting the bar very high there...

Oddly, I keep a list of items I find more useful than a gear chart strapped to my handlebars but I may have to stop revising it. Item # 45,728 is a breath mint for a cat.
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Old 08-11-20, 08:42 PM
  #48  
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The OP asked how to figure out the exact gearing for the possible combinations of chainwheel and cogs for any given bike. Fortunately, some folks have actually provided him with methods to do so! Many didn't 👎.He didn't ask if it really needed to be done, if it was silly to know how to do it, if it meant he had OCD. He didn't ask if he should just wing it, if anything short of cross chaining was good enough or how to make lasagna 😉. He wanted specifics. While there may be some cycling "savants" out there that can just look at a chain wheel-cog combination and know how it relates to all of the other combinations, the rest gain the knowledge from years of experience either by trial and error (the slow method) or by doing a bit of math and devising a way to recall the info (until it's committed to some level of memory)! The latter method is certainly a bit faster 😎. And is what the OP requested!
Witty replies can be fun if they're not at the expense of others (that actually address AND answer the OP's question) 🙂. Just sayin'.
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Old 08-12-20, 06:00 AM
  #49  
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Really going to advise OP to print out a chart, attach it to his bike and consult it each time he approaches a gear change? That's as silly as figuring gear inches for each of 22 combos and trying to remember and apply them. There might have been some justification for this sort of thing back when you only had 5 cogs in the back with big gaps. Now with 10 and 11 speed cassettes it's beyond OCD. Should have taken credit for a good joke and let it pass.
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Old 08-12-20, 07:17 AM
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Originally Posted by shelbyfv
Really going to advise OP to print out a chart, attach it to his bike and consult it each time he approaches a gear change? That's as silly as figuring gear inches for each of 22 combos and trying to remember and apply them. There might have been some justification for this sort of thing back when you only had 5 cogs in the back with big gaps. Now with 10 and 11 speed cassettes it's beyond OCD. Should have taken credit for a good joke and let it pass.
I stand by my reply. It suggests a way to sort out the gear combinations. Whether or not it's printed out and taped anywhere, is up to the OP. I have no idea as to the experience level of the OP. The forum join date, post count and question suggests someone relatively new to cycling (but perhaps not). There's also no indication as to the number of cogs on his bike but it does seem there are at least 2 chainrings up front. He could very well be riding a rehabed 20th century bike with a mere 5,6 or 7 cog freewheel/cassette. I'll admit that a gear chart with 22 entries (20 if you removed the cross chain values) would clearly be too much. And yes, border on if not enter the realm of ridiculous. IMHO, that also applies to 11 cog cassettes too!
To all that thought the use of a gear calculator was humorous, go back and re-read (or perhaps read for the first time) the thread starter. Then read the rest of the replies and ask yourself if your reply actually answered the OP's question.
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