PatrickR400

Hey,

I'm inaugurating my Stupid Beginner Questions series. Believe me, I can do stupid very well...

So, this morning, on ride number 2 with the new bike, I ended up going down a very moderate hill. Stopped pedaling because I couldn't pedal fast enough but when I got to the bottom I was in too high a gear to resume efficiently.

My question is "How do you manage gears efficiently in a situation like this?" Do you go up in gears so you can pedal while going down the hill, reduce the gears when you get close to the bottom, and reduce some more to deal with the flats.

Thanks in advance.

Patrick

dr_lha

I have difficulty imagining a scenario where the momentum from the downhill doesn't give me enough "go" to pedal in the high gear and then reduce gear as I loose momentum. I can't say I've ever reduced gears while coasting downhill to prepare for the next uphill!

obed7

gear selection and shifting at the proper time will come with experience. Just keep riding.

Kobe 

I would anticipate the next hill and downshift to a lower gear, otherwise you may loose some of your momentum getting up the next hill. Plus it saves some stress on the drive-train where you would be pushing hard in too large a gear.

IBOHUNT

practice, like Allen Iverson

Jarrett2

Pretty much this. It becames second nature eventually.

From experience, you'll know what gears you need to be in for different situations and you'll subconsciously shift there as you ride. Also, the longer you ride, the different gears you'll need for different situations. Meaning, you might not need that granny gear for that hill in a month.

If I'm going down a decent hill, I will shift into higher gears until I can feel a moderate amount of pedal pressure under my feet. Then once there, I sometimes I coast, sometimes I pedal. Just depends on the situation. Then as I go through the bottom and start to pedal up the next hill, I will typically go, pedal pedal, shift if need to, pedal pedal pedal, shift if need to, etc. Until I get to a comfortable climbing gear.

WonderMonkey

While going down a hill if I've reached a speed that I'm comfortable with and gearing to match and I'm coasting I'll start pedaling as I reach the bottom of the hill and maintain the speed as long as I can. I'll then downshift and keep going and so on until I get to my normal cruising speed.

JerrySTL

If the hill is steep enough, I get really aero and stop pedaling. I read somewhere that above about 25 mph, you are better off coasting in a tucked position from an energy standpoint. The legs flailing around in circles make pretty much drag at those speeds. Of course an exception is if you are racing and need to maintain higher speeds. I seldom allow myself to go much over 30 mph anymore. I've had a few speed wobble issues in the past and they are scary!

I usually shift to a higher gear in anticipation of pedaling again. Once my cadence starts to fall, I begin shifting to easier and easier gears when on the flats.

IMHO shifting technique when going up hills is much more important. I've found it better to shift a little early than late. I've seen a lot of chains dropped from a poor shift of the front derailleur when climbing a hill. In fact that happened to me this past weekend. I was climbing out of the saddle up a small hill in the big ring when two dogs jumped out in the road in front of my. I slowed to avoid hitting one and when I tried to shift the FD down, I dropped the chain. Lucky for me those dogs are friendly.

PatrickR400

Thanks

PatrickR400

I think you both "get" what I was trying to express. I get to fairly high speeds when going down hill and I can't pedal fast enough. So, I guess I'll go up in gears to be able to pedal without flailing and let the momentum carry me when I get to the flats. Down shift afterwards as needed.

SpikedLemon

I pedal lightly along down the hill for the most part and once I've slowed down: I really engage to try to maintain the momentum (since there's usually another hill).

TrojanHorse

Shift as necessary, it's fast and easy.

It may not be obvious to you yet, but newer riders tend to think a lot more about shifting, and at some point it just becomes natural. The biggest problem beginners have (that I can see at least, otherwise known as my wife and son) is that you wait WAY too long to shift to an easier gear, and when you're going about 10 rpm and struggling to stay upright, panic sets in and you try to grab too many gears while you're really stomping on the pedals. Shift before it gets too hard to pedal.

Bill Kapaun

We probably all do it a bit differently, depending on our conditioning and the steepness of the hill.
I'm an old guy with emphysema, so I rest on the down hills. Basically put the pedals at 3 & 9 o'clock and tuck the knees in while bending over more than normal. (hybrid style bikes)
I have the gear I'm going to use already selected for when I resume pedaling. That will come with experience.

As others have mentioned, downshift a bit early rather than a bit late when climbing to keep spinning at a good cadence. If you downshifted a bit too low, just keep spinning and it won't be but a few seconds of uphill and you'll be in the right gear.

Tundra_Man 

I've got a big hill on my commute with a stop sign at the bottom, so I have to give up all the momentum I've gained on the hill. Also, that means that I'll need to be in a lower gear when I'm ready to roll again, which necessitates a shift.

What I've learned to do is shift to a lower gear while I'm still coasting downhill. I'll turn the pedals enough to allow the bike to change to the lower gears, but I'm not trying to spin so fast that I'm actually putting pressure on the drivetrain. Just because the bike is moving fast doesn't mean I have to pedal that fast.

PatrickR400

I went for a quick ride this afternoon and I shifter up while going down hill to minimize/stop the flailing that helped quite a bit. So did shifting more often to adjust to the road conditions.

I guess some things are learned and stay learned (like using SPD pedals) but others need relearning (like shifting) after almost 20 years off the bike.

lane_33

Yeah I have only been riding for about 3 months (as an adult) and I already shift automatically. But yeah, generally you want to shift into an intermediate gear before stopping (at a light for example) so you can get going again.

I remember on one of my first rides I stopped on 3rd and 8th at the bottom of a hill. It's a fairly steep hill with an intersection right at the bottom so that might be some thing the OP is dealing with too. In that case you would need to shift back down before the bottom of the hill. Basically what Tundra_Man said. The hill is in my neighborhood so I usually go down it (and back up it) a few times a week. I've gotten a hang of shifting back down and then braking well ahead of the intersection.

I would also agree to shift early in anticipation of a hill rather than later once you're already applying too much pressure at too high a gear. I used to drop the chain all the time doing that, now haven't dropped it in 2 months.

Again, I'm a beginner w/ only 3 months of riding under my belt so I'm sure you will pick it up in no time.

chasm54

Just an observation. Most North Americans drive cars with automatic gearboxes. As a result they don't learn how to use te gears in a car. Europeans mostly shift manually, so the relationship between gearing and revs is secnd nature by the time they start riding as an adult.

OP, you've got the answer. Experiment with the gears. With the chain in the big ring at the front and the small sprocket at the back you're driving the rear wheel several revolutions with each turn of the pedals. Fast, but hard. On the small ring at the front and the big sprocket at the back you're probably turning the rear wheel only one revolution for each turn of the pedals. Slow, but easy. Use the former downhill, the latter on steep uphills, something in the middle for the flats. Adjust as required.

bikesd

Thank you for asking this question - I've been trying to maximize my gear choices too!

RubeRad

Learn to be a very active shifter. Make sure you are good at laying off the pedals so the chain is not under load during the shift (shifting under load is a great way to wear/break a chain).

For me transitioning from downhill to uphill, I try to get up speed on the downhill, try to maintain that speed on the uphill, but as necessary shift down 1-2 gears at a time until the momentum is lost and I'm just in the granny, grinding my way up. Of course it's different for every hill. With a big enough downhill, and a small enough uphill, the momentum is enough to get you up and over without shifting.

Going over the top of the hill, as it levels off, you start shifting up.

PatrickR400

Good stuff, especially the part about laying off the pedals; maybe that's why I got a few rough gear changes the other day

VCSL2015

so true!!

VCSL2015

(After riding a road bike for 4.5 weeks) I hear your newbie question. Practice makes perfect and as the others say your intuition and practice will become second nature just like driving a car. You do not worry about how long to brake before coming to a stop at an intersection, you just do it.

When Im cruising down steep inclines I find a happy medium where if I fell over I would be able to walk away with all my front teeth but fast enough to be able to switch gears and coast up the next hill. You'll have to find your own happy medium. The most important thing I would say is dont let this intimidate you, just get back on your bike again and your good to go.

trevor1968

Hery guys! i have a question...

I have hydraulic disk breaks and they often sqeek and it drives me crazy! Is there any way to fix my problem?

Thnks!!

RubeRad

probably