Originally Posted by
marimorimo
I like playing around with gear shifts on my hybrid, but I'm probably doing something wrong. When shifting to an easier gear, the sudden loss of weight/resistance and momentum surprises me and I usually freeze/coast for a bit until the resistance returns to the pedals. This is not a problem on flats, but it usually bites me back on hills and inclines. The pedal resistance and cadence is just right at the first quarter of the incline, but become very heavy by mid-hill.
What does a proper gear shift-down feel like? How does it feel being in the proper gear on a hill climb?
Everybody develops their own style of climbing a hill. When approaching a long or steep hill, I shift down to my small chainring, but shift up a gear or two in back and try to keep my cadence up. My goal is to keep a steady cadence up the climb by using the remaining back gears (usually 4 or 5). The key is to get into a rhythm and stick with it even if it starts to hurt a little.