A typical 27 gear bike has nine cogs at the rear wheel and three cogs at the pedals. That's a lot of cogs, and they need a technique to get the best use from them.
What you don't do is stay on one front cog and just go up and down on the whole nine rear cogs. This will damage the cogs and chain, and ensure that you don't make the most use of what you have.
Without getting too technical, the reality is that a 27 gear bike only has about 14 actual gears. The rest are overlaps and double-ups.
Instead of 27 gears, it's practical to think of the bike as having three sets of four gears.
By that I mean each of the front cogs having only four of the rear cogs available to it.
1. The smallest front cog uses 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the rear.
2. The middle front cog uses 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the rear.
3. The largest front cog uses 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the rear.
The rear can usually be changed alone from one cog to another. Every time the front cog is changed however, the rear needs to change one or two cogs in the opposite direction. This makes up for the overlaps and double ups.
Example 1: You're riding along, the road starts going uphill, and you're clicking the rear to lower gears to make the pedaling easier. You get to the fourth gear on the rear but still need to go lower, so you drop the front cog from the middle to the smallest. But now the pedaling is far too easy, so you move the rear one click back to the next higher gear so you have pressure under your feet. You've now got a bunch of lower gears to use on the steep hill ahead of you.
Example 2: You're riding along, the road starts to go downhill, and you're clicking the rear to higher gears to make the pedaling harder. You've reached the sixth or seventh gear but still need to go higher, so you jump the front cog from the middle up to the biggest. Now the pedaling is far too hard, so you move the rear one or two clicks back to a lower gear. You've now got the right pressure under your feet and a bunch of higher gears to keep on pedaling.
Gears exist to make cycling easier and more efficient. Take the time to learn and use them properly and you'll be amazed at how much more enjoyment you get from cycling.
I am a keen cycle tourer, and hope my experiences and conclusions help others.
What you don't do is stay on one front cog and just go up and down on the whole nine rear cogs. This will damage the cogs and chain, and ensure that you don't make the most use of what you have.
Without getting too technical, the reality is that a 27 gear bike only has about 14 actual gears. The rest are overlaps and double-ups.
Instead of 27 gears, it's practical to think of the bike as having three sets of four gears.
By that I mean each of the front cogs having only four of the rear cogs available to it.
1. The smallest front cog uses 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the rear.
2. The middle front cog uses 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the rear.
3. The largest front cog uses 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the rear.
The rear can usually be changed alone from one cog to another. Every time the front cog is changed however, the rear needs to change one or two cogs in the opposite direction. This makes up for the overlaps and double ups.
Example 1: You're riding along, the road starts going uphill, and you're clicking the rear to lower gears to make the pedaling easier. You get to the fourth gear on the rear but still need to go lower, so you drop the front cog from the middle to the smallest. But now the pedaling is far too easy, so you move the rear one click back to the next higher gear so you have pressure under your feet. You've now got a bunch of lower gears to use on the steep hill ahead of you.
Example 2: You're riding along, the road starts to go downhill, and you're clicking the rear to higher gears to make the pedaling harder. You've reached the sixth or seventh gear but still need to go higher, so you jump the front cog from the middle up to the biggest. Now the pedaling is far too hard, so you move the rear one or two clicks back to a lower gear. You've now got the right pressure under your feet and a bunch of higher gears to keep on pedaling.
Gears exist to make cycling easier and more efficient. Take the time to learn and use them properly and you'll be amazed at how much more enjoyment you get from cycling.
I am a keen cycle tourer, and hope my experiences and conclusions help others.
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