Manon Lloyd: Bicycle gears are brilliant. Although, they can seem a little bit confusing
at times, especially if you're new to the sport. Don't worry, in this video, we're going to show
you everything that you need to know about the gears and how to use them so you can get the
most out of your riding. [music]
Bicycle gears allow you to maintain a comfortable pedaling speed to the terrain or gradient of road
you're on. The very first bicycle only had one gear, so no matter how steep the road,
you just had to keep pedaling, even if it became very difficult. Gears on modern-day bicycles have
a lot more options, meaning you can pedal uphill and downhill comfortably. Well, pedaling uphill is
never really that comfortable. [music]
What is a comfortable pedaling speed? Cadence is the term used in cycling to
measure the speed which you are pedaling at. It's measured in RPM, Revolutions Per Minute.
Basically, how many times you turn the pedals in just one minute. It's recommended that you pedal
at a cadence of around 70 to 100 RPM but you want to pedal at a cadence that's comfortable for you.
I'm pedaling at 85 RPM right now and this is pretty comfortable for me.
Everyone pedals at a different speed so there isn't a right or wrong answer.
Some people prefer a higher cadence and some people prefer a lower cadence.
You want to use your gears to help maintain your cadence despite the speed or terrain you're
riding. For example, if you're riding uphill, you want to select an easier gear so your cadence
doesn't drop too much. [music]
Gears will either be electronic or manual. They're pretty easy to use
once you've figured them out. You have buttons or levers here. One side will change the big
chainring and the little chainring and the other side will change the cassette at the back. I've
got electronic gearing on mine so I just click these buttons and it will change the gears for me.
Bikes come in a variety of different components and gearing, so my bike might have a different
gear ratio to yours. Essentially, to explain the gears really easily,
the big ring is where you want to be when you're traveling at high speed on flat fast roads.
Then, if you start going up a hill and it gets a little bit steep, you want to drop
into your little ring there, and that'll make it a lot easier. For the cassette at the back, you've
got quite a few and different gears to choose from. The biggest cog, that's going to be your
easiest gear. The one closest to the spokes that's the easiest and then, they gradually get harder
and harder as you move down to the smallest one. [music]
Change gears whenever you think it's necessary or when your cadence changes from what you're
comfortable with. Try and avoid changing gears a million times up one short climb. Sometimes it's
best to stay in the same gear and push a little bit harder up the climb or get out of the saddle.
If you see a steep climb coming up, think about what gear you want to be in for the climb. You
want to avoid changing gears up the climb because this can cause them to jump. When you come to a
stop, say at traffic lights, for instance, make sure you're in the right gear to pull off. You
don't want to be stuck in a massive gear trying to get it going from the traffic lights because
that's going to be hard work. [music]
If your gears aren't working properly, they're rubbing, they're jumping, or you get this annoying
friction noise, you can fix this yourself but a bike shop will be able to fix it pretty quickly.
If your chain isn't sitting in the right place for the gears, then it won't run smoothly.
The derailleur that you can see here, will guide your chain into the right
place. It could be as simple as adjusting your derailleur so the gears run smoothly.
A worn-out chain or cassette could be the cause of your gears not running smoothly, it even could
be your gear cables. We have lots of mechanical explainers on our channel so make sure that you
check them out if you need some help. [music]
Thank you for watching this video. I hope it's helped you understand a little bit more
about the gears. If you have any funny gear selection stories,
please leave them in the Comments section below. My funny story was, I was out on a training camp
in Italy and I was in the mountains and my gear cable snapped and I was stuck in my hardest
gear for the rest of the ride. Good job I had some friends there to push me home or else, I'd
probably still be out there. [00:04:58] [END OF AUDIO]