How Do Road Bike Gears Work

Road bike gears may seem complicated at first but use them properly and you ll soon by riding much more efficiently.

How do road bike gears work. This in turn moves the desired derailleur to its new position guiding the chain to the chosen chain ring or sprocket. There are a few different systems that bikes use to change gears though by far the most common is the external drivetrain. Consult your bike shop at the time of purchase on how yours work or simply jump on your bike make sure to pedal and push your shifters to get a sense of how they function. In the mechanical sense derailleur gears work by the rider pulling or pushing the gear shifter which shortens or lengthens the relevant gear cable.

However it s all too common that beginners get themselves in a bit of a tiz over what does what. Play around with the gears. A bike with 30 or more gears is not an indication of a machine designed to break the land speed record any more than a bike with only a single gear assuming similar ratios. The gear changing mechanism on a bicycle has changed quite a bit over the past 30 years or so but these days all of your shifting is typically done from the same levers that control your braking.

The latest road groupsets are now 11 speed meaning the rear cassette has 11. First let s get our terms straight so we re on the same page. Geared bikes have a front derailleur which allows you to shift between the large and small chainrings sometimes with a middle option on a triple. The gears on your bike are there to make your life easier you can shift down when the hills ramp up and crank them higher for speedier riding when you get a flat stretch of road.

The best way to get to grips with your gears is practice. Of course it makes sense to read up on how your gears work before you get out on the road and to have an understanding of what the levers do. Bikes generally have 1 3 18 21 24 or 27 speeds.