Originally Posted by
cxwrench
^This^ Exactly this. You should just know...if you're going 15 you might need to downshift 1-2 cogs...if you're going 20 then maybe 3-4. You should be able to feel what's going on when you're riding your bike.
It is not just 1-2 cogs. Going from start to 15 mph I guess I am going through 5-6 or more gears. Same the other way. Since I ride a recumbent it makes a big difference if I am starting on 2nd or 4th cog since I cannot use my body weight by standing up. Therefore it is important for me to know if I need to downshift 8, 5 or just 2 gears. Plus being on a recumbent I am constantly shifting up and down to get a similar spinning frequency in every gear. So I really don't know know what gear I am currently in without looking at my shifter. I may get used to it but for now I will mark my shifter. At least for the lower gears. It is my first bike in over 40 years which does not have gear shifters with markings on it.