Conference noted::bicycle

    
    To start the ball rolling...
    
    	- shift before you need to (up or down)
    
    	- shift into a higher gear when starting a sprint
    	  in/around a pack
    
    	- shift quietly or not at all if that will give away
    	  your intention (in a race situation)
    
    	- avoid double shifts ... some people (such as myself)
    	  would even say, change your gear setup to avoid double-shifts
    	  in your most-used range of gears
    
    	- shift the rear in preference to the front (sorry, guess
    	  that goes without saying)
    
    	- shift to minimize chain angle, for equivalent gear-inches
    
    	- don't oil the shifters :-)
    
    -john

    Greetings,
    
    I listen to my kids and wife shift awfully all the time. They can't
    get the concept down that they need to simply spin the crank while
    the rear derailer is actually moving the chain from one gear to
    another. Whenever we are going up a hill I can tell where they are
    by listening to their chain clashing and them swearing like sailors 
    at the gears. A request to fix their gears is the next thing I hear.
    
    So all whining aside...The thing I noticed is that we have to learn
    to not put any pressure on the crank while the derailer is shifting.
    
    Fred Mudgett

    re "pressure on the crank": or you can get hyper-glide.  :-)
    
    at a cuppla hunnerd smackers a bike :-(
    
    ed
    

    	Never shift both derailleurs at once. I know, ya gotta
    	steer with one hand, but if you end up shifting both
    	derailleurs at the same time, without spinning a coupla
    	turns, yer gonna havta stop and put that chain back on.
    
    	How does I know this?
    
    	Just 2 or 3 times. Then I learned my lesson.
    
    	Scott

    
    
      There are a few ways of looking at this question.
    
      1. The mechanics of actually shifting gears.
    
      2. The proper gear to shift into.
    
      3. Tactics involved with shifting gears.
    
    
    1. - The mechanics of shifting gears.
    
    	The operation of shifting gears is fairly simple and simplified
    	even further by indexed shifting systems.  Lets start with 
        shifting in the front.  You have to be pedaling to perform any
        shifts on a standard deraileur type bicycle.  Pedaling at a high
        RPM will make a shift occur faster.  Pedaling overly fast can cause
        problems when shifting up front such as dropping a chain.  You
        should always use the left hand to shift the left lever and the
        right hand to shift the right lever.  When moveing the chain from
    	a smaller chainring to a larger one it is a good idea to ease up
    	the pressure on the pedals and make the shift fairly quikly.  If
     	you shift to slow the chain will grind on the deraileur and the
    	large chainring cause extra wear on both.  When shifting from the 
    	larger chainring to the smaller be carefull about overshifting and
    	keep in mind that it can be a big jump and you may find yourself
    	suddenly spinning at the very top of your RPM range.
    
        Shifting the rear deraileur is the same as shifting in front except
    	that there are more sprockets to choose from and the jump between
    	them is conserably smaller than in front.  If you have a good
    	indexing system that is well adjusted then shifting in back is
    	simple.  Move the lever forward to select a smaller sprocket or move
    	the lever back to select a larger sprocket.  For those who still
    	use friction shifting the technique is the same but there are a few
    	added complications.  You have to move the lever quickly.  If you
    	move the lever too slowly the shift will be rough, noisey and cause
    	extra wear.  The hardest part of shifting a friction system is
    	getting the deraileur to move just the right amount to positin is
    	directly under the sprocket that you are shifting to.  This is 
    	strictly a matter of practice till you get it right.  You may find
    	some systems that require you to overshift a little in order to get
    	the chain to move easily to a larger sprocket.  In this case you 
    	have to practice shifting a little to much and then easing the
    	lever forward just enought to to position the deraileur properly
    	after the shift has taken place.
    
    2. The proper gear to shift into.
    
    	This is a tough one because everybody has a different riding style
    	and uses different gearing.  To further complicate things a persons
    	style can change.  Here are some guidelines to use.
    	
    	Gearing is usually refered to by stating the number of teeth on the 
    	front chainring and the the number of teeth on the rear sprocket.
    	On the front of my bike I have a 42 tooth small ring and a 53 tooth
    	large ring.  On the back I usually run with a freewheel that starts
    	with a 13 toothe spocket and goes up to 14,15,17,19,21,23.  I do
    	most of my riding in a 53X19 or a 53X17.  There are times when I
    	am riding comfortable in a 53X17 and the person next to me is
    	riding in a 52X15 or even a 42X15.  Its a matter of style.  A rule
    	of thumb is to keep your RPM's somewhere in the 80 to 100 range.
    	Riding in to big of a gear will tire your legs out a lot faster
    	then riding in to small of a gear.  I have found it to be a good
    	idea to start hills in a gear theat you know you can make it up
    	the hill in.  This way if you are undergeared you can shift up
    	once and accelerate.  If you are overgeared then you have shift
    	back a gear wich will destroy your rythym and make it more
    	difficult to regain the proper cadence.  As a habit I will not use
    	my small chainring with the smallest sprocket in back and I won't 
    	use the big ring with the biggest sprocket in back.  (There are
    	situations in racing will will sometimes break this rule.)
    	I could go on for another 100 lines and not cover all the ways
    	to select a certain gear and why but I won't.  The most important
    	thing to do is find your style through experimentaion and then
    	adjust as you go until you find what works for you.
    
    
    3. Tactics involved with shifting gears.
    
       	Shifting can be somewhat tactical.  I have seen people who will
    	climb over the top of a hill in a 53X23 so that when they are over
    	the top of the hill they can slam the bike into a larger gear in
    	one quick motion while everyone else is trying to get up onto the
    	big ring in order to catch up.  I have lost top 5 placing in races 
    	because I was overgeared for the sprint and was passed by 20 people 
    	in the last 25 yards.  I try and get into the proper gear before
    	everyone else does.  I have also controled the timing of a sprint
    	by listening to when the everone else shifts gears to start their
    	jump.  You can also cause somebody else to jump before they want to
    	by just making a noise like you about to shift gears and then hop
    	on their wheel and follow them to the finish line.  Shifting
    	tactics are directly tied to race tactics and just like race
    	tactics	they take some imagination some experience and a certain
    	amount of luck to make them work.
    
    
    	John C.
    

re.2 So all whining aside...The thing I noticed is that we have to learn
     to not put any pressure on the crank while the derailer is shifting.
    
    
    I'm not sure what you mean.  I'm a complete novice to bikes with shifts 
    and derailers and gears and really have no interest in racing but since my 
    chain got screwed up yesterday and I had to stop to fix it I guess I'd 
    better learn.  You have to be pedaling forward to shift.  If that's the 
    case how do you not apply pressure to the crank, especially on a hill?
    
    Getting better but have a long way to go
    
    George

>    better learn.  You have to be pedaling forward to shift.  If that's the 
>    case how do you not apply pressure to the crank, especially on a hill?
    
Either 1) shift BEFORE getting on the hill, or 2) EASE the pressure 
briefly on the pedals while performing the shift. Don't STOP pedaling
but back off substantially for the few seconds you need to shift.

                                  ken

    
    	Remember when sprinting, don't change just before the sprint. Try
    and change a bit before, and, if possible, give the gear a little test
    by pushing down hard on the pedals (just a little, you don't want to
    move to far forward) to make sure that your gear is not going to jump
    when you start to kick.
    
    Graham.
    

    
    Graham's advice on sprinting sounds on the mark.
    
    As far as easing up on the pressure before shifting via derailleur,
    I can't believe this discussion.  :-)  What the experienced noters
    are trying to get across is that shifting under *max* load is not
    good, and can be tricky.  Even ascending hills, you can ease off
    torquing just a bit, and that will suffice.  And you can shift under
    load if you have to ... but you have to be careful.
    
    Back to the fun part: I (Mr. No Sprint Ellis) have been outsprinted
    more than necessary because of shifting at the wrong time (too late)
    or being in too low a gear and trying to spin through the sprint.
    This is really a problem in Charlotte, because it's right on the NC/SC
    line, giving opportunity for many state-line sprints.  :-)
    
    -john

	re. John in .5

	You suggested shifting the right shifter w/your right hand, and your
	left shifter with your left hand.  Well, I *was* doing that, but
	found that shifting with my left hand was pretty awkward.  Also, if
	I needed to shift both levers it was really time-consuming to put
	my weight on my right hand in order to shift with my left, then put
	my weight on my *left* hand in order to shift with my right.  Now
	I just reach down with my right and shift whichever one I need to.

	I'm still trying to get my sprinting down.  I too have found I've
	been in too easy a gear and am pedalling for all I'm worth, only
	to be passed by someone in a higher gear.  I have a question about:

>  I have lost top 5 placing in races 
>  because I was overgeared for the sprint and was passed by 20 people 
>  in the last 25 yards.  

	What does "overgeared" mean?  Does it mean you were in too hard
	of a gear, or too easy of a gear?

	Thanks,
	Sue

    
    
    Sue,
    
    When you blow by me on 'LeMonde Hill' and I'm saying "#@*&^%, too big a
    gear"....that's overgeared.
    
    8^)
    
    Steve 

    
    
      Sue,
    
      Steve is right "Overgeared" means to hard of a gear.
    
      Most of the times this happens Its an uphill sprint that I know I 
      can do in a large gear but sometimes the effort of getting to the
      front of a race and staying there till the end takes enough power
      out of my legs so that I can no longer push the big gear fast enough.
    
      John C.
    

    
    Thanks for the explanation.  I assumed "overgeared" referred to
    too many items of designer bike apparel and accessories.
    
    Live & learn.  :-)
    
    -john

    
    
    ; -1 
    
    Hadn't thought of that definition....hmmm, Sue, remember the guy with
    Aerobars we passed today...
    
    8^)

    was it an N-athlete?

    
    
    
    RE: -1
    
    ....Bright Yellow Aero Bars, no Jersey, no helmet, 12 - 14 mph.  I'll
    leave the rest to the imagination...
    
    8^)

    sounds like a pi-athlete 8=))