Shifting gears whilst out of the saddle
Eddie2593
Posts: 15
I have a shimano 105 (2011) drivetrain on my bike. When i climb out of the saddle and the hill starts to kick up a bit i always sit down shift up an easier gear then get back out of the saddle. I would do the same if the hill began to flatten out a bit.
I was wondering would i damage the drivetrain if shifted up or down gears whilst out of the saddle?
Thanks
I was wondering would i damage the drivetrain if shifted up or down gears whilst out of the saddle?
Thanks
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Comments
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No, but it's a bit harder to lighten off the load when standing, basically drivetrains don't shift well under a significant load, you can shift whilst standing up but there's a bit of a knack to it.0
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snapped a shimano chain trying to shift gears whilst standing up a 1:7 hilll. you can feel the stress on the drivetrain. stick with your 'sit back down' technique; i always try to do this and the smoothness of shift more than makes up for the momentary loss of power0
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You should be able to do it, it's just a question of technique and timing. Shift your weight forward a little onto the bars, shift just at the end of a pedal stroke and imagine that you're walking on water or hot coals...0
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Lakesman wrote:snapped a shimano chain trying to shift gears whilst standing up a 1:7 hilll. you can feel the stress on the drivetrain. stick with your 'sit back down' technique; i always try to do this and the smoothness of shift more than makes up for the momentary loss of power
More likely it was due to it being a shimano chain!!!!!!!0 -
Modern drivetrains can easily cope with this - just ease-off slightly as you shift unless you plan on doing an Andy Schleck.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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Yes, modern drivetrains are much better at this than older ones. I remember when I was in my teens, riding old bikes that my dad had put together, that you pretty much had to get into gear before the hill picked up much as shifting while on a hill was very hard. Nowadays you can do it much more easily, just ease off slightly whilst the bike shifts....Do not write below this line. Office use only.0
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Rear shifting should be ok, especially if you change to a lower gear reasonably early.
Front shifting is trickier, much higher chance of something going wrong.
Trick is to carefully plan when you are going to shift to small ring ( if it will be needed ).
I have a 50/34 which makes it tricky, it's a big difference, so you tend to lose a bit of momentum when shifting.
Be careful when riding in a group, the rider behind may not be expecting you to slow.0 -
As above it is possible (i too have 105), it's a kind of jump at the right moment to lighten the load, it's not pretty but it works.0
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Headhuunter wrote:Yes, modern drivetrains are much better at this than older ones. I remember when I was in my teens, riding old bikes that my dad had put together, that you pretty much had to get into gear before the hill picked up much as shifting while on a hill was very hard. Nowadays you can do it much more easily, just ease off slightly whilst the bike shifts....
Lol - how old are you?!! Or possibly your dad wasn't great at putting bikes together? I've honestly never found old bikes to be harder shifting on hills than modern ones.
The only problem I have with old gear trains on hills (eg 1980s etc - no fancy shaped teeth or chains) is that trying to shift downtube levers whilst stood really is tricky. My Dawes does now have a modern cassette and chain but for all the ramps, it doesn't make that much difference - just a little quieter and smoother.
However, no problem at all in shifting on climbs otherwise. Even an advantage with downtube shifters as you can change down very quickly if caught out by a gradient. That said, what can happen when shifting too many gears too rapidly is a derail or chain jam - but in my case that is just down to user incompetence!Faster than a tent.......0 -
Rolf F wrote:Headhuunter wrote:Yes, modern drivetrains are much better at this than older ones. I remember when I was in my teens, riding old bikes that my dad had put together, that you pretty much had to get into gear before the hill picked up much as shifting while on a hill was very hard. Nowadays you can do it much more easily, just ease off slightly whilst the bike shifts....
Lol - how old are you?!! Or possibly your dad wasn't great at putting bikes together? I've honestly never found old bikes to be harder shifting on hills than modern ones.
The only problem I have with old gear trains on hills (eg 1980s etc - no fancy shaped teeth or chains) is that trying to shift downtube levers whilst stood really is tricky. My Dawes does now have a modern cassette and chain but for all the ramps, it doesn't make that much difference - just a little quieter and smoother.
However, no problem at all in shifting on climbs otherwise. Even an advantage with downtube shifters as you can change down very quickly if caught out by a gradient. That said, what can happen when shifting too many gears too rapidly is a derail or chain jam - but in my case that is just down to user incompetence!
I'm 38. This was in the 80s. My dad generally used a hotch potch of 2nd hand kit on bikes though - a frame from here, a mismatched groupset from there etc etc. Having said that, all the bikes he put together were solid and never fell apart. May be I'm exaggerating a bit but I definitely remember that shifting on hills, although not impossible, was tougher then, you would shift the (unindexed) lever and there would be a jump or a clunk, whereas these days, as you point out, the shift is cleaner, smoother and quieter, you barely need to unweight the pedals with modern gearing...Do not write below this line. Office use only.0 -
It's definitely a bit harder if you have to remove the rear wheel and turn it around.... Even those new-fangled cambio corsas are a bit of a fiddle when standing on a steep hill...Lol - how old are you?!! Or possibly your dad wasn't great at putting bikes together? I've honestly never found old bikes to be harder shifting on hills than modern ones.
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