Most of the time you will want to be in gear 2 on the left, and do practically all your shifting with the right shifter. On the level it will probably be comfortable to start off in gear 3 on the right. When your feet feel like they are spinning too fast you shift up to 4 then 5. If you feel you are having to push hard on the pedals shift down to a lower gear. Gear 1 on the left is to get you up steep hills, and shifting from 2 to 1 on the left is the equivalent of shifting down 3 gears on the right, so the time to make the shift down on the left is when there is a sudden change of gradient. Sometimes when you shift down on the left you might want to shift up on the right to keep your feet spinning at a reasonable pace. You will only want to use 3 on the left when you have a strong tail wind pushing you along, or on a long downhill.