Using Your Cycling Gears Like A Pro

We all need to use our gears wisely when we’re on the bike, but most of us limit ourselves to a few trusted gears and use little else. Not enough riders make the most out of their gears but being able to will give you a competitive edge.

You may not be able to put in as many hours as the professionals, but you can give yourself that professional edge by practising how to use your gears to best effect:

Smaller Lasts Longer

Hitting too high a gear increases the load on your muscles, accelerating the time until fatigue sets in. Getting the gears wrong will tire you out quickly; the best way to avoid this is to avoid ‘cross-chaining’, which happenes when the gear shifters are at opposite extremes – for example the highest rear gear and lowest front gear, which pulls the chain out of alignment.

Optimum Level

Just like driving a car, your gears should be used in that comfortable spot. You don’t want to rev your car too high, just as you don’t want to be hitting high revolutions per minute on the bike. Most people find somewhere between 80-100 rpm a comfortable rate.

Leg Work

Finding the leg speed on steep inclines which feels comfortable yet efficient is the key. Most bikes come equipped with a 39 front chainring, and up to 30 or 32 on the back: these are the gears most pros will use when the climbs get really tough.

Time Your Changes

Keeping momentum on a gradient is a skill everyone should learn to avoid losing time on the climb. Anticipate your attack or change of speed by selecting the right gear: knowing the right gear will come from practice out on the bike.

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