Originally Posted by
Beginner Biker
I was riding my new bike and when I was going up a hill on a high gear, and I shifted down toward the top of the hill to make pedaling easier and the chain made a really loud sound and was jerky shift. Should I not shift down in the middle of a hill? I am not sure how or when to shift. Also at the highest or lowest gears, the chain makes a sound, I look down and it clips the front derailer box (dunno the actual name), is this of concern? Could someone give me some advice or good articles to read about shifting?
Thanks!
Everyone else is saying the same thing and it's correct. The loud sound and jerky shift are a sign that you were probably pushing hard on the pedals--try to ease up just a hair before you shift. This will take some time to coordinate and get used to. The sound in the highest and lowest gears is probably from running cross-chain (check the video posted above). Avoid those gears if you can.
Originally Posted by
gitarzan
You shoulda got a fixie.
Originally Posted by
rangerdavid
which was going to be my response as well.... if you gotta ask that question, this is the appropriate response.
This is a stupid response--the OP's asking a question because he or she doesn't know something and would like to know something. Why shouldn't they try to learn?
Student: "How do I use this graphing calculator to figure out sine & cosine?"
Bitter Teacher: "You shoulda stuck with third grade math, ya doof."
Student: "?"