To obtain the smoothest, most reliable shifts, be sure to downshift early, before you are mashing the cranks too hard and too slowly. While shifting, most veterans will instinctively ease up on the pedal torque, spinning the cranks gently.
If you get interested in bicycle gearing, you may want to set up a simple Excel spreadsheet. Head columns B, C, and D with the number of teeth on each chainring. In cells A2 through A8, enter the number of teeth in each of your seven rear cogs. Now, each cell entry B2 through D8 is 27 (26 for a mountain bike) x the number of chainring teeth / the number of cog teeth. The resulting "gear-inch" numbers are proportional to pedal effort and inversely proportional to pedaling speed. They will give you a good idea of the overlap among your three 7-speed ranges of gears and will let you know how much overall range you have.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069