View Full Version : How do you tell a thirteen yearold her 21 speed bike has more than two gears
gonzohill
06-19-04, 11:02 PM
went for a ride with my daughter she cant seem to get the idea that a bike has more than two gears !!!! south eastern ohio is hilly so I have to wait for her all the time but she is a very storng rider on flat ground if she would only learn to shift rideing would be so easy for her..
Show her the rear cogs tell her to count them. Show her the front chainrings, tell her to count them. Then tell her to do the multiplication. Then show her the shifters, and how they work, and coach her when to use them and how.
HalfHearted
06-20-04, 08:18 AM
Show her the rear cogs tell her to count them. Show her the front chainrings, tell her to count them. Then tell her to do the multiplication. Then show her the shifters, and how they work, and coach her when to use them and how.
She's thirteen years old! I'd say she realizes there are more gears. Doing that would probably come across to her as patronizing and sarcastic. It is more likely that she is just uncomfortable with the many combinations and doesn't fully understand the benefits of the additional gearing.
Right now she thinks one high and one low gear are adequate. I think the best approach would probably be to explain to her how she can be a better, more consistent rider and ride greater distances with less fatigue by using more gears and spinning a constant cadence.
timmhaan
06-20-04, 04:04 PM
when she is sleeping i would put her bike into either the smallest gear or the largest. then, when she goes for a ride she'll be forced to change them into something more suitable. that will get her used to shifting.
when she is sleeping i would put her bike into either the smallest gear or the largest. then, when she goes for a ride she'll be forced to change them into something more suitable. that will get her used to shifting.
And put the fear of the bike gobblin changing her gears in the middle of the night into her.
Litespeed
06-20-04, 07:41 PM
Have you thought of simply asking her why she doesn't use other gears? One thing you could do is when she riding, ask her to stop, put it in one or two easier gears for her, then ask her to ride the bike. I think once she feels the difference of the different gears and how much easier it makes it, she will use them.
Get one of her friends to tell her. She's at the age where everything you say or do is wrong and embarasing. :)
p38karl
06-20-04, 11:03 PM
I have my 13yr granddaughter keep her rear in the middle and just shift the front from large to middle then small. I figure to work in the rear gears later.
Michel Gagnon
06-21-04, 01:04 PM
Assuming it's indexed shifting, then there is no technical reason for not using them.
But does she needs other gears? There are quite a few cyclists who swear by fixed and single-speed bikes, so she might be one of them in disguise.
MichaelW
06-22-04, 11:48 AM
Force her to ride in one unsuitable gear the whole time, and if she tries to change SHOUT AT HER.
Its probably more sensible to keep the front gear in the middle and just alter the rear, ie a 7speed.
Velo Dog
06-22-04, 06:01 PM
Let her ride. She'll shift when she needs to. It's bothering YOU, not her.
(signed) A Fellow Compulsive...but I'm trying to keep my hands and mind free of things that don't matter.
Yea.. let her ride the gear she wants, im sure if shes 14 shes smart enough to know theres more gears... If she needs them she'll use them.. Im 15 and would be very annoyed if someone tried to tell me what gear to ride in, or screwed with my bike when I was sleeping..
The solution is simple... she was born to be a singlespeeder, and you are just pulling her from her true calling in life. She needs a Redline Monocog Flite!!! :D
jeff williams
06-23-04, 12:19 AM
Go find a hill, gravity is a harsh mistress. OH, and teach her to engage the gear change before the incline as changing while fully engaging the cogs causes harsh transfer, know what I mean?..well explain. Also explain 'cross chaining".
Jef.
Go find a hill, gravity is a harsh mistress. OH, and teach her to engage the gear change before the incline as changing while fully engaging the cogs causes harsh transfer, know what I mean?..well explain. Also explain 'cross chaining".
Jef.
To add to this. Start at the bottom of a hill. Put the bike in a high gear and tell her to ride up. "Too hard Dad!" Go back to the bottom. Repeat for a middle gear and then a low gear. Then simply tell her that's why we have gears, to adjust to the terrain.
Go find a hill, gravity is a harsh mistress. OH, and teach her to engage the gear change before the incline as changing while fully engaging the cogs causes harsh transfer, know what I mean?..well explain. Also explain 'cross chaining".
Jef.
Unfortunately, she'll just stay in the same gear and get stronger and stronger...
Why not let her just ride her bike? If she enjoys what she is doing then that's all that matters! When she gets to 14 will she be put off cycling because of unsolicited advice?
The young lady has her whole life in front of her so what's the rush?
It's already great that she rides with her dad! :D
I used to ride BMX.. thought those gears are silly.. and what the heck is that thingy hanging by the wheel.. How do you expect me to rail w/ that acting as a hook!!! are you crazy!!!
But when I got my first roadbike, I didn't use the gears at first and wanted to use a single speed.. The first time I went with my grand dad on one of his long rides 50+kms, I felt the need to make the resistance lesser.. I experimented by turning the knob(Downtube), and whala! wow! easier gears!
Let your kid discover it by herself.. tell her to experiment a bit.. in time she'll develop her own techinique and you only have to reinforce it..
LOL i love this thread! From the secret single speeder to the gear goblins I laughed and laughed because I have 2 just like your daughter at my house.
When I was growing up and going all over on my Schwinn 10-speed my neighbors father pacified them in re their single speed huffys saying that the gears on my bike didnt actually do anything but make it harder to pedal! Here's hoping that she keeps riding with you no matter what gear she's in!
ZackJones
03-18-05, 04:44 AM
I think it's a girl thing.....just kidding. My wife is pretty much the same way. I have to tell her to shift by saying things like "right thumb one time", etc. If you have a trainer hook her bike up on the trainer and then run her through the gears while she is away from the road and can give her attention to the task at hand. It may be that she's too busy concentrating on other things while riding that she doesn't think about shifting.
Ride alongside her, then simply tell her that you're changing gears, something like, "Hon, we're going uphill now and it's getting a bit harder to pedal, so I'm shifting one click on the righthand lever...It's getting steeper here, so I'm shifting one more time..." etc.
PWRDbyTRD
03-21-05, 11:57 PM
I rode with my aunt...who refused to change gears other than the front chain ring...she was afraid to mess something up...rather amusing.
liv_rong
03-22-05, 03:19 AM
I have the sort of the same problem with my girlfriend on hills too. Ive tried to explain how to shift but she just cant get the hang of it, but shes getting better. If theres any advice I can give you its just leave it up to her, because I dont know how daughters are compared to girlfriends, but when I keep repeating things she gets mad.Or if I start to get aggravated because she slows me down on hills she gets mad. I think thats how most women are. More experimenting=greater sense of independence and she will eventually get it. It does kinda suck when you have to slow down, because then your not getting full potential out of the ride and your wasting energy. But its your daughter so you must just let her make the pace, thats what I TRY to do with my girl.
She is 13. No cure available. When she hits a big enough hill she will shift. When someone (not you) runs off in front of her downhill she will shift. I am sure she knows the gears are there and what they are for and how to use them.
I raised 3 children and went through this same thing but different sports. It is a funny thing. At 13 you have absolutly no sense whatsoever. At 16 it is even worse. When they get about 20 you become the smartest fella ever. Good Luck and just be patient. They will figure it out. You are there to only guide them not force them (in most cases).
motorhommmer
03-22-05, 05:06 AM
went for a ride with my daughter she cant seem to get the idea that a bike has more than two gears !!!! south eastern ohio is hilly so I have to wait for her all the time but she is a very storng rider on flat ground if she would only learn to shift rideing would be so easy for her..
I am not sure that this age group have tremendous hill ability. A friend of mine goes out regularly with his son and a lot of others all aged from 12 up. He claims that it is only form 15 onwards that they get any stamina for hills.
Agree with the others, let her ride, a family ride should involve pacing at their level. If you want to attack hills, just go out without kids.
mtnbiker66
03-22-05, 05:24 PM
I ride with my son 12 and my daughter 14. My son got the whole shifting thing no problem. The girl has taken a little longer but shes got it now. If I see her pushing a big gear uphill I just remind her and she gets where she needs to be.Motorhommmer thats bull about kids and stamina. My son can hang on any group ride we do and he's the only kid.We did a 22 miler in Pisgah a few weeks ago with no prob.Last weekend we did a mtnbike ride with two long climbs( 5 and 4 mi.) he was the first one to the top on both.It's all in getting their legs, this will be his forth year on the bike and he rides about 4 to 5 times a week.
Black Bud
03-26-05, 09:25 PM
If she wants to ride in "only two gears"--let her!
It won't hurt her...hey, I use all of mine and I'm STILL REAL SLOW up hills !! :roflmao:
Seriously, she will "learn" how to use the full gearing range available to her when she's ready to do so...not before. Daddy's "being a pain in the *****" won't make her learn any sooner!!! :D
If you want to "hammer the hill", do so on another ride...one she's NOT on.
Besides, Daddy's learning how to "take hills slowly" -- without falling down --, is a useful skill, too!! :)
:roflmao:
When my hubby bought me a Trek, I said... "Why in the world would ANYONE ever need 27 gears?" and "My old Schwinn 3-speed does just FINE!" and "I love you for spending the money on me, but hows about you just GIVE me the grand and let ME spend it?"... YOu get the idea...
After two or three rides in hilly terrain and having to WALK up a hill because I was too stubborn to SHIFT, I finally figured it out... Gears are for getting up hills with. I can shift into the little ring and just chug on up the hill. Easier than walking.
And yes, I appreciate my Trek a lot more now a days...
Let good 'ol Momma Nature take care of it for you. No need to get into an arguement or come across as a patronizing jerk. Momma Nature can handle the situation quite nicely without your help.
bikejack
03-29-05, 01:58 AM
Get her a singlespeed and wait until she asks for more gears.
BikeLady
03-29-05, 04:53 AM
Here are my observations, based on working at the LBS last summer:
Most kids (and older people) learned to ride on a bike with one fairly high gear. They think that's what riding a bike is supposed to feel like, and they get uncomfortable in lower gears (perhaps because they are unable to maintain a high cadence for any length of time.). They also seemed to feel that there was some magic formula for choosing a gear that they didn't know about, which made them unworthy of a bike with 20+ gear choices. I got around that by explaining that there really isn't a rule...it's about choosing a gear that feels comfortable to you. The "Gear Police" won't confiscate your bike if you don't use all the gears. Then I used the slight hill in the parking lot to demonstrate that it was easier to ride uphill in a lower gear.
My daughter was bad about shifting until we took her on a week-long tour when she was 11. By the end of the first day (with a little coaching) she had gotten pretty good at shifting. Now my husband, on the other hand, may never understand it!
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