Originally Posted by
Metallifan33
I just started riding my bike and from researching before buying, I read that you don't want to have the extreme opposite gear selected between the front and rear (e.g. biggest gear on the back and the biggest in the front). This to reduce the amount of lateral stress on the chain.
My question, is how do you keep track of what gear you're in on a ride? I looked down yesterday on a climb and noticed that I was in the easiest gear in the back and the hardest in the front. I then shifted the front gear and the expected happened... which brings up my second question: When shifting the front gear, do you place the back gear in more of a middle gear so the change is not so drastic?
Thanks for your responses (sorry for any terminology awkwardness)
You will have to purposely develop the habit to keep from cross chaining. With modern 10+ speed chains It really doesn't hurt anything but it can put you in a position of having to double shift rather than single shift on the rear derailleur. This means that you also have to develop the habit of shifting down in the front rather early while you're still in the lower rear cogs which are usually minimal steps apart.