Want to ride your bike on a flat road? Don’t have enough knowledge about gear?
In a dilemma, which gear to use when?
Gear is an important thing your bike should have. A gear ensures how fast and far you can ride. If you use low gears, then it’s sure you will be left behind, and if the gear is too high, then the danger will roam over the head, and turning the pedals fast will be tough for you.
How to understand when to shift gears? Which one will be best for you? Let’s know the answer.
We are here to help you. We will tell you what gear to use on a flat road or uphill downhill, and some tips to remember when you will use a geared bike.
Know The Gears
Usually, gear bikes have chainrings ( one, two, or three) in the front and gears or cogs ( seven-twelve) in the back. You have to change the chain from the small rear cog to the large rear cog to make your pedaling easier. When the gear moves between the smaller chainring pedals, it’s simple, and when the chainring is bigger, one pedaling will be tough. You can’t decide which gear is compatible with you until you practice a lot. You have to spend lots of time after time. Make free time, feel relaxed and start shifting the rear gears on the front and rear to find out which gear feels comfortable.
What Bike Gears To Use On Flat Road?
Using the right combination gear can make your ride more smooth, but when you are new to biking and don’t have any experience with gears, it will seem confusing to you. But avoiding gears is also not a good decision. You have to use the gear to pedal comfortably on any terrain; it will make your ride more accessible and enjoyable.
Usually, you have to select a gear for the best ride that allows you easy and comfortable pedaling. If the pedal stroke is slow that you have to put hard effort into it, a lighter gear will be chosen. But if you are going slow and need to ride uncomfortably to go faster, then select a high gear.
Let’s know more about three common gear and when to use them.
Low Gear
Low gear is perfect for climbing. When you combine the small chainring with the larger rear cogs, the available gear will be the lowest gear/low gear. When you want to ride uphill or headwind, choose this gear, it will keep the bike pedals spinning when the road points sharply up. It ensures you climb the hill steadily with ease without putting in lots of effort.
Middle Gear
Middle gear is perfect for regular terrain on flat roads. When you need some strength but not too much to ride on undulating terrain, you can shift your gear to the middle level. For that, you have to combine middle chainring on triple rear cogs to ride on flat roads smoothly. When you are a beginner in biking, keeping the bike in middle gear and riding it on flat terrain will be best for learning, and you should try shifting your gear with a relaxed mind to understand better what bike gear goes best with you.
High Gear
To ride smoothly at a faster speed, you have to shift your gear to high. High gear is also great for ramping up and climbing down. Shift your gear too high to combine the big chainring (front gear) with small rear cogs. With this gear, you can travel a long way for each round of the pedal.
Recommendation
According to my, if you are a beginner, riding on a flat road using the Middle Gear will be the best decision. But if you want to ride faster on a flat road, then High Gear is perfect. Now you have to decide what gear goes flexible with you and understand that you have to taste every gear.
Some important things to keep in mind
- Shift Gradually- Ensure The Chain is Engaged Before Moving
- Left Shifter Means You Are On Easy Gear And Right Gear Means Fine-Tuning
- Don’t Try To Stay On One Chaining And Avoid Cross Chaining
- Practice Riding On Different Terrains With Gear Shifting
- Try To Understand The Chainring And Cogs Combination
Don’t take any stress; everyone has to start from somewhere; no one becomes champion in one day. Remember, practice makes a man perfect, so never stop practicing until you get what you desire.
Riding Mountain Bike on Road
If you are planning to ride your mountain bike on the road, please check out our guidelines for riding mountain bikes on the road. This article will help you to understand the best way to use mountain bikes on road. It includes guidelines, tips, and tricks that you can try out on your next road trip.
FAQs
When To Shift Gears?
Take some time to get comfortable with the bike gear. First few days, practice shifting the gears yourself with the lower and middle chain. After some time, you will get used to all gears.
If you are running too fast, on lighter gear, and need to shift into high gear to control it. If you are running too slow, it means the gear you are using is hard, so you need to change into a lower gear to make the ride fast and comfortable.
If you cannot recognize what gear you are using, look at chainring in earlier days. If the small chainring is linked with big rear cogs, it’s lower gear, and if the larger chainring is combined with small rear cogs, it’s high gear.
What is The Easiest Gear on a Bike?
The most accessible bike gear is the lower or smaller gear. It’s beginner-friendly gear because a smaller chainring is easy to pedal, so riding a long way to learn doesn’t seem hard and becomes enjoyable. A lower/smaller gear means a smaller chainring in the front with a big cog in the rear.
What Gear Should My Bike be in When Going Uphill?
Going uphill needs the lowest amount of resistance and easy pedaling. It means your bike should be in lower gear when you want to go uphill. Lower gear means easy pedaling that will make your ride comfortable and safe. In lower gear, the chainring will be the front one that is small and will be linked with the largest cog on the rear gear.
What Gear Should My Bike be in When Going Downhill?
Going downhill needs hard pedaling, which means your bike should be in high gear to go downhill. High gear is really good for descending, it allows acceleration while riding downhill. Hard gear means the front chainring will be the largest that will be linked with the smallest cog on the rear gear.
Should You Change Gears While Pedaling?
Yes, changing gear while pedaling is the best time to shift gears from lower to medium/higher. Standing still without pedaling and trying to shift gears won’t affect the gear. It means you should pedal when you want to shift the bike gear.
I am Ryan Ford, a mountain biking enthusiast who loves to explore the outdoors. I also like to go on adventures with friends and anything else that involves being outside. I love my bike because it gets me out of the house and gives me an opportunity to enjoy nature.
