I have a question I have been riding for about 2 years now, and I feel that I'm a getting better and better. My question is: I have a double, and I stay in the little chain ring the majority of my ride. My thinking is that the big chain ring is for all out sprints/off the saddle pedaling/downhill speeding. Don't get me wrong I KNOW that as I get better, I will be able to switch to the big ring and spin in efficiently. Should I be doing the majority of my riding in the big ring, or stay what i'm doing know which is keep it in the small up front and the small cogs in the rear as well?

For some reason, people tend to complicate gearing, but it's really pretty simple. You should ride in a gear that feels comfortable--it doesn't matter much whether you're on the big ring or the small one or where you are on the cassette (the only exception is that you should avoid going "across the drivetrain," from the big ring to smallest cog or small ring to biggest cog).
As you gain strength, you could try doing a ride entirely on the big ring, shifting just in the rear, to see what it feels like. You probably have several duplicate or near-duplicate ratios (from the small ring to one cog will be close to the same as from the big ring to a larger cog). Shifting isn't a straight progression--you don't go through all the gears in the little ring, then shift to the big one and go through all the gears again. One old rule is to choose a gear that will let you pedal at 80-100rpm. It's as good a place to start as any.
If you're interested enough, you can figure out your ratios and see where the duplicates are, though there's really no reason to do it. The formula: Divide the number of teeth in the rear cog into the number in the chainring (probably 53 large and 39 small), then multiply by 27 (the diameter of the wheel in inches) to get "gear inches." For instance, a 39/17 combination is 61.9 inches, and a 53/23 is 62.2. That's too small to matter.

I have a question I have been riding for about 2 years now, and I feel that I'm a getting better and better. My question is: I have a double, and I stay in the little chain ring the majority of my ride. My thinking is that the big chain ring is for all out sprints/off the saddle pedaling/downhill speeding. Don't get me wrong I KNOW that as I get better, I will be able to switch to the big ring and spin in efficiently. Should I be doing the majority of my riding in the big ring, or stay what i'm doing know which is keep it in the small up front and the small cogs in the rear as well?

There's nothing wrong with riding in the small ring most of the time, but you're missing something if you only reserve the big ring for short, fast efforts or downhill runs. It's not really about speed--It's about efficiency. Next time you are on a flat road in your small ring, put it in the big ring and select an appropriate gear in the back so you can spin happily down the road. On a flat road, you can usually select gearing with the big ring that will come close to the gearing you use in the small ring, but it will <u>feel</u> different.

I have a question I have been riding for about 2 years now, and I feel that I'm a getting better and better. My question is: I have a double, and I stay in the little chain ring the majority of my ride. My thinking is that the big chain ring is for all out sprints/off the saddle pedaling/downhill speeding. Don't get me wrong I KNOW that as I get better, I will be able to switch to the big ring and spin in efficiently. Should I be doing the majority of my riding in the big ring, or stay what i'm doing know which is keep it in the small up front and the small cogs in the rear as well?

If you feel you're continuing to improve, then the small chainring is fine. If you get to a point where you are stagnating, and not really getting any faster, then the little ring is no longer challenging you. If your goal is to get stronger, you need to challenge yourself and occasionally pedal a gear that's not comfortable, one that feels a bit too hard. If you're body isn't made to work harder than it is used to, it has no reason to get stronger.
If you are spending a lot of time riding in the small chainring and the small cog in the rear, you should start riding more in the large chainring. Riding a lot with the chain lined up at an angle like that, as opposed to a straight line can cause the chain and rings to wear out quicker than normal. The same thing goes for riding in the large chainring and the smallest rear cog. Try to find a gear that has the chainline as close to parallel with the bike frame as possible.

Shifting isn't a straight progression--you don't go through all the gears in the little ring, then shift to the big one and go through all the gears again.


Oh man thanx for clearing this up, this is exactly what i was doing/thinking.. seriously !!!
:(

Oh man thanx for clearing this up, this is exactly what i was doing/thinking.. seriously !!!
:(
you're not getting any chain rub? In any event...the easiest way to think about it is that you should try to keep your chainline as straight as possible al the time. If you are climbing a hill you will likely be using your small ring and your big cogs. As you head down the hill you will shift to your smaller cogs and at the same time your big ring. As you accelerate faster keep moving towards the small rings. Reverse it when you head back up the hill or flatten out. When you get towards the middle of your range then shift back into the small ring again.

you're not getting any chain rub? In any event...the easiest way to think about it is that you should try to keep your chainline as straight as possible al the time. If you are climbing a hill you will likely be using your small ring and your big cogs. As you head down the hill you will shift to your smaller cogs and at the same time your big ring. As you accelerate faster keep moving towards the small rings. Reverse it when you head back up the hill or flatten out. When you get towards the middle of your range then shift back into the small ring again.


Well I was doing this with the small chain ring up front, and from the maybe the middle of the rear cog going down ( meaning the going to the smaller cogs, I hope i'm explaining myself right) so basically it looks like this: me in the smaller ring upfront, and in the rear i'm on the 3rd smallest cog, meaning in the way I was thinking was i have two more to go and then I can move up to the big ring upfront and start the process again... lol pretty crazy of me... but to answer your question i never never never had any chain rub

. . . but once you start riding with fast groups, the choice between the small and the big ring may not be entirely yours.

Most groups start off in the small ring, but a few miles into the ride speeds may increase to a point where you can no longer keep up riding in the small-small combination, like a 39 x 13. At that point, you need to go to the big ring and, almost at the same time, shift a few cogs up from your 13 to perhaps a 15 so you don't bog down. It would be good to practice that one-two shift before you have to do it on a fast group ride. I do a double shift - left and right levers simultaneously. But I'm not recommending that because I feel only pure luck has prevented me from dropping the chain or worse.

Good advice from everyone responding to your question.

. . . but once you start riding with fast groups, the choice between the small and the big ring may not be entirely yours.

Most groups start off in the small ring, but a few miles into the ride speeds may increase to a point where you can no longer keep up riding in the small-small combination, like a 39 x 13. At that point, you need to go to the big ring and, almost at the same time, shift a few cogs up from your 13 to perhaps a 15 so you don't bog down. It would be good to practice that one-two shift before you have to do it on a fast group ride. I do a double shift - left and right levers simultaneously. But I'm not recommending that because I feel only pure luck has prevented me from dropping the chain or worse.

Good advice from everyone responding to your question.


Good points about the group riding dynamic. If you're in a group and they're riding at 25mph, and a gap opens, you'd have to increase your cadence a LOT to catch up in the small ring. If you're in the big ring, you don't have to increase your cadence to an unmanagable level. You have to develop the muscles and condition the muscle nerves to turn over the large ring at the slower cadence. It's easier to control your bike and ride smooth if you're pedaling a managable cadence versus pumping and bouncing around trying to catch up at 100+rpm. Higher cadences are ok for conserving your leg strength on a long, extended climb, but they're not the ideal solution for all riding conditions. Riding with fast groups is the best way to get stronger. You're forced to ride hard and fast. You have something to take your mind off of the effort, versus riding alone where that's all your mind has to focus on.

Cory sums it up well. One more thing to note is that by using the small-small combinations, you are increasing drive train wear - the chain, chain ring, and cogs are all under less stress when you have more teeth engaged.