cyclezealot

A little while back, I commented about a bike light I found...Thought it a great find...Planet Bike's reflecterized ankle braclet with a built in light...
Well...It occured to me..One thing I don't like about night riding is not seeing your chains position in the cogset/chainring.....So Wal La... Wrap this Bike Planet ankle strap about the base of your seat tube..Should be enough light to see your cassette chain position at least...Maybe put in a small safety pin to secure it 100 % to the tube.
Is everyone's sense of where your gearing is, that you don't worry about chain stretch positions at night...? I have exclusively STI shifting on my bikes.

Raiyn

I can feel what gear I'm in. I also count clicks. Not a bad idea though.

MichaelW

With DT levers you can feel what gear you are in.
When I'm riding with Ergolevers I sometimes fnd that I have been in a crossover gear and haven't noticed, because of the traffic or some tricky junction.

Bigfoot

I may be confused on this topic. If so, I apologize for my reply up front.

I tell what gear I am in by the amount of effort I am putting forth in the pedal strokes.

If the stoke is too hard for the terrain, I change it. I do not see the purpose of needing to see what gear you are in in order to ride a night.

Catrike Road #116
"Cats just don't feel safe on a moving bicycle, no matter how much duct tape you use"--Author unknown

cyclezealot

The jest of the topic...Not unbeknownest to you...Riding with your gears cross over between large chain ring, large cog..Seeing your gears does not help to ward off this problem...?

HaagenDas

I wonder if Microsoft could come up with something like Bike Sim 2005 to fill the gap here?

slvoid

I can usually tell by speed and how fast i'm pedaling what gears I'm in so I don't have to keep looking down.

balto charlie

I have a helmet mounted light so that if I need to look down I can easily see the gears. I know many floks hate this setup but it works for me.

MichaelW

With triples, you can replicate gear ratios with several cog combos. Some of these are usable and some are no-nos due to the crossover chainline which places a lot of lateral stress and wear on the chain and cogs.
If your mind has other things to worry about, you can start in a low gear in the small cog and just run along the rear cassette being in the right gear for your speed and strength, but not for your chainline.

my58vw

I can hear in my double when I am crosschaining the gears... when that happens big ring. No need to know exact gear unless I am training or racing.

roadfix

So can most, but that's not the point of this thread...

operator

You shouldn't need to know what gear you're in period (flightdeck pfft). If you're crosschaining you'll know it. If you're not, then you got nothing to worry about.

slvoid

That's so true.. Ok, here's my contribution.
It's a very effective shift light. Plus my own headlight mod.

Artmo

I'm glad I don't ride with you at nite if you keep looking down to see what gear you are in

operator

I hope you like maglites in your rear spokes

BostonFixed

I ride a single gear bike. Always in the right gear, biatch!

slvoid

That's not just regular tape, that's scotch magic tape.

james Haury

I've been riding fixed wheel ,Shiftless and i have to keep pedaling.

Machka 

I rarely ever look at my chain position day or night. I'm a little confused why someone would feel that it is necessary.


That said, I do have a small light (it's a common white "blinkie" set on the steady setting) which I set up facing me when I ride at night so I can see where my bottle cages are.

james Haury

If your chain is not on the cog you will definitely hear it and probably feel it.

james Haury

Voila!

operator

In that case. I take back what I said.

Machka 

Exactly!

The only time I might take a glance down there is if I'm shifting and nothing is happening - I look, and realize that I'm at one end of my gears or the other.

cyclezealot

If your chain is stretched to the maximum extent, yes - you hear a noise...But one gear in , you don't... But that is still a stretched position..I was told, always stay two gears in from the outermost cog position...When in the biggest chainring...
Riding in traffic...Don't think I am alone is not knowing at all times your gear position...Some do it more than others...I catch myself from time to time, but not routinely....Guess this is a cyclists closest encounter to what motorists say, when they drive 60 miles on the freeway , are so bored- they can't remember a mile of it, they were so deep into concentration..
...Not that I am ever bored while out on the bike. I think most cyclists visually check out their gearing from time to time...Does not take but a nano second.
I think Slvoid solution is one possibility...But probably not require that much lite..Plus, might not this help you in being seen from the side, against those motorists who run red lights.

Machka 

All I've ever been told is that if you're cycling, and there's a grinding noise caused by cross-chaining, you shouldn't ride in that gear for very long . . . but a little while won't hurt.