Girls Gone Riding: Folks...You can wrap your handlebars yourself!

So it's a cheap job...$8-$12 bucks to pay a bike shop...That's not the point...

Empower yourself! Plus, you'll feel less guilty about changing your bar tape as often as you change your purse!

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Women Cyclist Shifting Tips - Basics, Nevers and Always for Girls Gone Riding

July 7th Wine Women and Wheels Shifting Clinic at Global Bikes in Gilbert, AZ

Learning to shift is among the most intimidating of skills when first learning to road bike. When heading out on a flat beginner ride, there are not too many opportunities for dangerous mistakes. It's typically when riding steeper grades that being in the correct gear could cause some headaches or even a fall

Here are some basic shifting tips to get you started:

Most of your shifting will occur using your right shifter, or rear gears.

The left or front shifter is used for bigger or more intense shifting when heading up a signficant grade. Most riding will be done in the middle ring of a triple or the larger sprocket of a double or compact double.

The biggest sprocket in the back is the one that produces the easiest pedaling.

While the largest ring in the front produces faster or harder pedalling, the large ring in the back is your easiest gear.

Gears CLOSEST TO the bike are easier. As they move further away from the bike fram, harder.

It's easier to remember this way, but you will see that the smaller ring in the front is closer to the bike and the larger ring in the back is closer to the frame.

The smallest sprocket in the back allows you to move the fastest.

When you are in your smallest, or highest number gear in the rear (usually #7, #8 or #9), it takes more pressure to move the pedals, but you can move along more quickly.

Shifting of the right (rear) will occur when pedaling is becoming too easy to too difficult. The shift will permit you to adjust to this change in terrain.

Adjust as you are moving along smaller terrain changes.

Shifting the left shifter makes a big impact, and shifting the right shifter is to fine tune your gear selection.

When you anticipate a hill ahead, don't wait until you have engaged the hill to shift, anticipate it and shift while pedalling softly before you reach the hill.

Triple vs. compact doubles – If you care what racers think of your bike, go with a compact double, if you don’t care, get a triple.

Even with a triple, a cyclist will not utilize ALL of these gear configurations, but if you don't care about weight, it's good to know the gears are there.

Rule of Thumb – Use Cogs 1-4 with small ring; Cogs 5-8 with the Large Ring.

Keep the chain as straight as possible; it can put too much strain or stretch on the chain if it becomes too angled. Never ride Large ring front/large ring back or small ring front/small ring back.

Use your fingers, save your legs!

 

Many new riders, particularly former runners tend to stay in harder gears and 'mash' as they ride. Using shifting and doing more spinning is easier on your legs and provides a more aerobic workout rather than building muscles!