Originally Posted by
Catweazle
- Set the chain on a gear about the middle of the cassette.
- Use the crankset to change up and down.
Totally backward! Use the cassette for most of your shifting. Typically, shifting the front derailleur is about equivalent to two or three shifts at the cassette. Pick the front gearing for the general conditions of slope and wind, and use the rear gearing to make the finer adjustments. Further, the rear shifts easier and quicker, and shifts better under load.
(Off-topic and tongue in cheek) Why the **** do gears get referred to in ******** fashion on bikes, with high gear on the crankset getting denoted as '1', but high gear on the rear cassette getting the highh number as a high gear should?
Huh? I've never seen that. "1" has always been the lowest gear. In the front, low is the smallest gear, while in the rear, low is the largest gear. And the shifters work in opposite directions...but the numbering is consistent, with low gear ratios being "1" and higher ratios being the larger number (if there
are numbers, that is...some shifters have numbers, and some don't).