Bicycles have multiple gears so that it’s easier to go up hills, and so you can go faster on level ground. Read this article and in five minutes you’ll know how to use bicycle gears.
First, let’s get our terms straight so we’re on the same page
You can think of gears as the same thing as speeds — a bike with 18 gears is an 18-speed bike. Bikes generally have 1, 3, 18, 21, 24, or 27 speeds. (10- and 15-speeds are obsolete and you don’t see them on new bikes any more.)
Lower numbers are the low gears, and higher numbers are the high gears. First gear is a low gear. Twenty-first gear is a high gear. That’s pretty easy, right?
Shifting means going from one gear to another. You shift gears by sliding the shifter on the handlebars. On most bikes this shifts the chain onto a different sized ring. On three-speed bikes the gears are inside the hub of the wheel so you don’t see them.
Downshifting means going to a lower gear, and upshifting means going to a higher gear. You can also say shift down and shift up.
How do I tell what numbers my gears are?
If your bike has three speeds then telling the gears apart is easy, because there’s only one shifter and it’s labeled 1-2-3. You can skip the rest of this section and go on to the next one.
But if your bike has 10 or more speeds then it’s just a little bit trickier, because you have two shifters. Let’s say you have an 18-speed bike. Your left shifter will be labeled 1-2-3, and your right shifter will be labeled 1-2-3-4-5-6. This means that for each number on the left, you get six different speeds on the right, for a total of 18. Here’s how it works:
Left shifter #1
Left Shifter #2
Left Shifter #3
1
2
3
4
5
6
Right-Hand Shifter
(Rear Ring Set)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Right-Hand Shifter
(Rear Ring Set)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Right-Hand Shifter
(Rear Ring Set)
Shifting moves the chain onto a different ring. Moving the lever changes where the chain is.
The Rear Ring
1-2-3-4-6-7-8-9
«« Lower | Higher »»
Your bike might have only 6, 7, or 8 rings.
The left shifter changes the ring next to the pedals. The smallest ring is 1, the middle ring is 2, and the biggest ring is 3. When you downshift with your left shifter, you’re moving to a smaller ring.
The right shifter changes the ring on the rear wheel. This is opposite of the front set: On the rear wheel the biggest ring is 1, and the smallest ring is 6.
Also Read: TIPS IN BICYCLE GEAR SHIFTING
You don’t have to worry about the ring sizes if you don’t want to, you can just look at the numbers on the shifter. You can downshift with either shifter, moving it from a higher number to a smaller number. You get a bigger change when you shift with the left-hand shifter than when you shift with the right-hand shifter.
