Operation Manual

26
a. Shifting Gears
There are several different types and styles of shifting controls: levers, twist
grips, triggers, combination shift/brake controls and push-buttons. Ask your
dealer to explain the type of shifting controls that are on your bike, and to show
you how they work.
The vocabulary of shifting can be pretty confusing. A downshift is a shift to
a “lower” or “slower” gear, one which is easier to pedal. An upshift is a shift
to a “higher” or “faster”, harder to pedal gear. What’s confusing is that what’s
happening at the front derailleur is the opposite of what’s happening at the rear
derailleur (for details, read the instructions on Shifting the Rear Derailleur and
Shifting the Front Derailleur below). For example, you can select a gear which
will make pedaling easier on a hill (make a downshift) in one of two ways: shift
the chain down the gear “steps” to a smaller gear at the front, or up the gear
“steps” to a larger gear at the rear. So, at the rear gear cluster, what is called a
downshift looks like an upshift. The way to keep things straight is to remember
that shifting the chain in towards the centerline of the bike is for accelerating
and climbing and is called a downshift. Moving the chain out or away from the
centerline of the bike is for speed and is called an upshift.
Whether upshifting or downshifting, the bicycle derailleur system design
requires that the drive chain be moving forward and be under at least some
tension. A derailleur will shift only if you are pedaling forward.
CAUTION: Never move the shifter while pedaling backward, nor
pedal backwards immediately after having moved the shifter. This
could jam the chain and cause serious damage to the bicycle.
b. Shifting the Rear Derailleur
The rear derailleur is controlled by the right shifter.
The function of the rear derailleur is to move the drive chain from one gear
sprocket to another. The smaller sprockets on the gear cluster produce higher
gear ratios. Pedaling in the higher gears requires greater pedaling effort, but
takes you a greater distance with each revolution of the pedal cranks. The larger
sprockets produce lower gear ratios. Using them requires less pedaling effort,
but takes you a shorter distance with each pedal crank revolution. Moving the
chain from a smaller sprocket of the gear cluster to a larger sprocket results in
a downshift. Moving the chain from a
larger sprocket to a smaller sprocket
results in an upshift. In order for the
derailleur to move the chain from one
sprocket to another, the rider must be
pedaling forward.
c. Shifting the Front Derailleur:
The front derailleur, which is
controlled by the left shifter, shifts the
chain between the larger and smaller
chainrings. Shifting the chain onto
a smaller chainring makes pedaling
easier (a downshift). Shifting to a
larger chainring makes pedaling harder
(an upshift).