General Cycling Discussion - Forgot to shift down and stuck on a high gear after a stop on a uphill, what to do?

I have a situation, just want to hear some input from more experienced cyclist.

I have my clipless, i was riding fast on a flat road, and then i encounter a uphill. I was powering through without problem. But suddenly, there is a stop light and forces me to stop suddenly. I forgot to downshift, so i'm still stuck on a high gear. I'm on my clipless, so my left leg does really get me much power until i "clipped" onto the clipless ( i generally takes about 2+ pedal to fully gotten my clipless to "clip" in). With just my right leg giving me power for half a padel, it doesn't give me any speed to go on, and i'm stuck without moving. So what should i do?

This happened to me once, and at the end, i have to walk my bike to aside and "manually" downshift by physically switching the chain to a low gear. I don't have super good balance especially when i'm slow or not moving, so i can't wait until i'm "clipped" before start moving forward.

What do you guys do in this situation?

If you are in the big ring:

1) keep your right foot clipped in
2) with your left hand shift the front derailler onto the small ring
3) reach back with your right hand, grab the back of the saddle and lift the rear wheel up a few cm
4) pedal forward with your right foot to drop the chain

Now you're in a smaller gear.

Unclip your normal leg and put your foot down, lift yourself off the seat, shift your rear derailler a couple gears up. Now hold your front brake while lifting the seat with the other hand and slowly pedal forward with the still clipped in foot. Repeat as necessary to get into an appropriate gear.

Ultimately, you just need to lift the rear wheel off the ground, turn the cranks and shift the gears. No need to move off the road.

I have a situation, just want to hear some input from more experienced cyclist.

I have my clipless, i was riding fast on a flat road, and then i encounter a uphill. I was powering through without problem. But suddenly, there is a stop light and forces me to stop suddenly. I forgot to downshift, so i'm still stuck on a high gear. I'm on my clipless, so my left leg does really get me much power until i "clipped" onto the clipless ( i generally takes about 2+ pedal to fully gotten my clipless to "clip" in). With just my right leg giving me power for half a padel, it doesn't give me any speed to go on, and i'm stuck without moving. So what should i do?

This happened to me once, and at the end, i have to walk my bike to aside and "manually" downshift by physically switching the chain to a low gear. I don't have super good balance especially when i'm slow or not moving, so i can't wait until i'm "clipped" before start moving forward.

What do you guys do in this situation?

Not to be a smart pants but this very problem is why I won't own anything but an internal hub bike.

Not to be a smart pants but this very problem is why I won't own anything but an internal hub bike.


Because of a mistake that most cyclists make once or twice, until they learn better?

Actually, what you do in that situation is you learn not to get into that situation. But any solution is good, it's just not something you normally need to worry about because you learn fast from the first time.

I was talking to one of the bike shop guys one time and mentioned that situation and he said "Oh yeah, and then you have to take off in a monster gear.."

Because of a mistake that most cyclists make once or twice, until they learn better?

Yep, that and I don't like the extra maintenance that derailleurs need. My goal was to point out that derailleurs aren't the only game in town.

Since I have no wish to hijack this tread please back to the question about derailleur shifting.

Since I don't race or anything, (but still ride clipless), I wear shoes that are spd compatible but also have rubber on the bottom of them. That way, I can pedal without being clipped in without having the "slippery feet" problem. It helps a lot, and I can even walk in and out of stores without changing shoes.

For instance, if I'm riding on a lot of loose gravel or on a slippery area, I don't like to be clipped in because if my bike slides out from underneath of me I don't want to be attached to it. Since I can pedal without being clipped in, I'll just unclip myself, keep pedaling through the slipperiness, and then clip back in after I've passed the gravel/ice/whatever else is slippery.

In your situation, I would either do what Caloso said, or just start pedaling without being clipped in so if I start tipping over I can easily put a foot on the ground.

Also, (assuming there isn't any traffic), you could start by pedaling sideways on the hill, making the hill not a hill at all, and then after you've shifted down you could head uphill again.

Not to be a smart pants but this very problem is why I won't own anything but an internal hub bike.

Does your IGH allow shifting under load? Or are you just saying that you can shift while stopped?

Does your IGH allow shifting under load? Or are you just saying that you can shift while stopped?

Both. Most IGH's need you to ease up a bit on pedaling when shifting, but so do most derailleur systems if you want them to last. Lack of maintenance and ability to shift while at a standstill are a definite benefit of the IGH. Most riders don't need the close ratios or the maximum number of gears available for the general riding.

Aaron :)

When stopped in the wrong gear, I stay on the bike, one foot on the ground, the foot clipped in the pedal.
Lift the rear wheel of the ground by pulling up the seat, now shift into the proper gear while pedaling the one foot.

Does your IGH allow shifting under load? Or are you just saying that you can shift while stopped?

yes, to both questions. Kinda hard on the hub but doable.

In all fairness I do own one bike with a derailleur that I don't ride much but won't part with. It's an old Schwinn World Tourist (Giant built for Schwinn) that has the Shimano Front Freewheel system that is very close to a IGH in operation I just can't shift while stopped. Other than that I have none of the concerns common with ordinary derailleurs.

Obvious solution is to blow through the red light. Health and life insurance premiums paid up?

I don't hesitate to get off the bike, lift the rear wheel and shift into a lower gear, when I get stuck in a high gear.
Quite a pain to take off from a standing start in a high gear on a recumbent bike.

If you are in the big ring:

1) keep your right foot clipped in
2) with your left hand shift the front derailler onto the small ring
3) reach back with your right hand, grab the back of the saddle and lift the rear wheel up a few cm
4) pedal forward with your right foot to drop the chain

Now you're in a smaller gear.

haha...that's a simple solution. I should have thought about it. Thanks for the tips!

Not to be a smart pants but this very problem is why I won't own anything but an internal hub bike.j

Interesting, is this the only advantage of the IGH? Are there more advantages? I've learned something today about IGH.


Actually, what you do in that situation is you learn not to get into that situation. But any solution is good, it's just not something you normally need to worry about because you learn fast from the first time.

I was talking to one of the bike shop guys one time and mentioned that situation and he said "Oh yeah, and then you have to take off in a monster gear.."

Now i've learned. But sometimes this is unavoidable i think, unless i blow a red light at the end....


Obvious solution is to blow through the red light. Health and life insurance premiums paid up?

I don't hesitate to get off the bike, lift the rear wheel and shift into a lower gear, when I get stuck in a high gear.
Quite a pain to take off from a standing start in a high gear on a recumbent bike.

haha...I'm trying my best to avoid blowing a red light. It's quite dangerous.

Put your front brake on
shift into lower gear
lean forward and lift your back wheel up and start pedaling with one leg

j

Interesting, is this the only advantage of the IGH? Are there more advantages? I've learned something today about IGH.

This is a good explanation of the two drive systems. The difference really is in the application. In racing the derailleur is still king and rightly so. But for anything else the IGH has the real edge.

http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/geared-hubs-vs-derailleur/

Both. Most IGH's need you to ease up a bit on pedaling when shifting, but so do most derailleur systems if you want them to last. Lack of maintenance and ability to shift while at a standstill are a definite benefit of the IGH. Most riders don't need the close ratios or the maximum number of gears available for the general riding.

Aaron :)

Not to be a smart pants but this is why I ride a fixed gear ;)

This is a good explanation of the two drive systems. The difference really is in the application. In racing the derailleur is still king and rightly so. But for anything else the IGH has the real edge.

http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/geared-hubs-vs-derailleur/

That's a hugely broad and misleading statement. IGH's certainly have the edge when it comes to the reliability you'd want on a commuter bike, especially if you're riding in the snow or rain a lot.

But that's not a concern for a lot of people, even those who haven't the slightest interest in racing. IGH's are relatively much more expensive than derailleur bikes. You can buy a complete, perfectly serviceable derailleur drivetrain for less than $70, including crankset, chain, and RD. If you want to do loaded touring, the Rohloff is pretty much the only IGH recommended, and the hub *alone* costs as much as a complete, decent mid-level derailleur touring bike. You can walk into even the smallest back-of-beyond LBS and get the parts necessary to repair or replace a derailleur drivetrain - just try that with an IGH. You have a far larger selection of available wheelsets to meet any need and price point with a derailleur system, and so on.

So yeah, IGH's have their place, but to state that they have the edge over everything else except racing bike completely ignores the reality that you also end up *significantly* restricting the price points and freedom to get precisely the components you want to meet your particular needs. It smacks of someone deciding that the equipment they ride is appropriate for everyone, which is patently not true.

That's a hugely broad and misleading statement. .

Crap! It's really getting old that every time I state a simple opinion as ,I see it, some moron just has to come along to tell me I'm wrong! What the hell is wrong with people today?!? :twitchy::twitchy::notamused::twitchy::twitchy:

So fella, everyone has different life experience that will lead them to opinion different than yours.

Crap! It's really getting old that every time I state a simple opinion as ,I see it, some moron just has to come along to tell me I'm wrong! What the hell is wrong with people today?!? :twitchy::twitchy::notamused::twitchy::twitchy:

So fella, everyone has different life experience that will lead them to opinion different than yours.


There's always the option of not making broad and misleading statements that can be disputed in a sentence or two...

There's always the option of not making broad and misleading statements that can be disputed in a sentence or two...

Our you could omit your opinion of the poster and just stick to the topic...........:innocent::innocent::innocent:

Hey, let's not argue. I know both of you just trying to help me out there. I know there are different opinion, and i'll certainly read more into it. I'm not the person that will following one particular person's opinion and educate others on it, so no worry.

When I find myself in your situation, I just downshift and keep pedaling as I brake. I find I can click down 3-4 gears easily without applying too much force against my braking effort. This can be done in a very short distance during a hard stop.

yes, to both questions. Kinda hard on the hub but doable.

In all fairness I do own one bike with a derailleur that I don't ride much but won't part with. It's an old Schwinn World Tourist (Giant built for Schwinn) that has the Shimano Front Freewheel system that is very close to a IGH in operation I just can't shift while stopped. Other than that I have none of the concerns common with ordinary derailleurs.

Then it isn't an IGH.

My solution: cross over into the opposite lane , go down hill ,
make the gear change , then turn back up hill again.

If you are in the big ring:

1) keep your right foot clipped in
2) with your left hand shift the front derailler onto the small ring
3) reach back with your right hand, grab the back of the saddle and lift the rear wheel up a few cm
4) pedal forward with your right foot to drop the chain

Now you're in a smaller gear.

+1

No need to park the bicycle at the top of the hill and rush out to buy another bicycle with some other gearing system.

My solution: cross over into the opposite lane , go down hill ,
make the gear change , then turn back up hill again.

wow, you must be a very well trained cyclist seeing how you handle this situation.


+1

No need to park the bicycle at the top of the hill and rush out to buy another bicycle with some other gearing system.

The problem is not spending money onto getting a new bike with other gearing system at that point, the problem is not how one manage to get both bikes moving with one rider...

wow, you must be a very well trained cyclist seeing how you handle this situation.No I'm just Old :50: and been riding a while ..

loaded touring bike is hard to lift the rear wheel
and spin the pedals to shift from big to little chainring.

so then that U turn and gravity thing helps.

No I'm just Old :50: and been riding a while ..

loaded touring bike is hard to lift the rear wheel
and spin the pedals to shift from big to little chainring.

so then that U turn and gravity thing helps.

haha....i see. I guess it's not too bad after all, if the leg strength is still there after a hill.