Wrong gear at lights

seanorawe

Ok, Im bored on my lunch. Im interested to hear what other people do when they have stopped at lights in a hard gear? Do you push really hard when the lights change? Do you change the gear then let the chain do its thing when you start moving? I saw a neat little trick the other day, bloke on a time trial bike changed gear, held the front brake and pushed the bike up on its front wheel, then pedalled with his clipped in foot. I think if I tried that, the bike would swing round and I would end up on the ground.

debeli

I've tried this method (raising the rear wheel on the front brake to allow rotation) when riding fixed-gear.

It helps with allowing me the best crank angle for a comfy start but in the matter of allowing me to change ratios, I find it avails me nought.

I may have misunderstood the principles, but I find that I am almost always in the wrong gear at red lights. Particularly when riding fixed.

My preference would be a Noddy hat and loon pants, but I'm usually in overtight lycra and a crash hat.

fenix

If I anticipate stopping and you were in a biiig gear then I'd have changed down.

If I didn't then I'd maybe carry on in the gear I was in.

Sometimes I'd do the gear change with the wheel off the ground if I needed to. You are still clipped in so you shouldnt let the bike swing round.

Depends on the road and incline.

reformedfatty

A whole variety of options

Alfine hub? change anyway

I sometimes do the lift the rear and one legged pedal, but most of the time as I have panniers on I just settle for making sure I'm out of the way of everyone and set off at a snails pace.

If I've stopped in the wrong gear I've probably just had some sort of exciting unplanned halt event anyway where it doesn't hurt to take a chilled moment to regroup.

veronese68

Depending on how I feel either lift the back wheel and change or pull away in a hard gear. Never change and then let it sort itself out. Changing under pressure sounds horrible.

gethinceri

Using Campag I lift the rear wheel and sweep down 3 rings in one go.

Ber Nard

When I was young and a MTBer, I'd pull an endo at the lights and sort the gears out with the back wheel in the air. I'd only do it to show off, though.

JackPozzi

Trackstand to bunnyhop, change down mid air, back to trackstand

Chinn39

I made the mistake of doing this at a junction on an incline recently. Had my first spd fall in 2 years because I didn't manage to get going quickly enough or realise in time I was going to stack it! No damage done apart from to my pride.

Needless to say every time I have stopped since I have made sure I am in an nice easy gear.

pblakeney

I always move down from the big ring to the small ring when approaching a junction or red lights.
If I get a free run, or the lights change then it is no big deal to change back up again.

awavey

Im generally slow away from the lights even when Im in the right gear

I think last time I tried to spin the back wheel round the chain got into a right old mess as it had got caught mid downshift and almost jumped clean off the front mech,so any time I might have saved was spent refitting the stupid thing.

so on the whole its just pull off even slower than normal,and try and drop the gears down as quick as I can once moving reasonably forward and the change will be cleaner and less metallic grinding noise

diy

I'd normally change down as I approached the lights, to get in a nice controllable gear to aid track standing. I've done the front brake on and lift thing a few times when I've had to stop quick. You only need the rear off a few cms, not much chance of it swinging.

Zerotails99

As above just lift the rear wheel off the ground a cm or two and pedal. You just need to keep practicing. You can also use your hand and hold the saddle to make it easier. After you have done it few times it will get easier.

IanRCarter

I do the 'front-brake-lift-back-end-pedal-shift' if I need to, did it just this morning. Nothing to it really, the back end goes up easily with the front brake applied and pushing on the hoods, which seem to give better leverage than the drops.

It does depend on what the upcoming section of road is like though - today I was on the flat towards the lights but then going uphill straight after the lights, so a big ring standing start would have been harder than if it was a flat bit of road ahead.

olake92

I just use the force; Jedi skills all the way.

ben@31

Andre 'the gorilla' Greipel would just set off in a 53t chainring with 11t at the back. Uphill. Into wind.

And still beat the number 56 bus to the next set of traffic lights.

IrishMac

plant one foot on ground, un-weight the one clipped in, lean forward, lift your saddle with your hand, click into gear, pedal, back of bike back down on the ground and you're sorted

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19696344#p19696344]IrishMac[/url] wrote:

plant one foot on ground, un-weight the one clipped in, lean forward, lift your saddle with your hand, click into gear, pedal, back of bike back down on the ground and you're sorted

Similar but, front brake on and as you pedal with the clipped in unweighted foot, the rear wheel lifts. With both hands still on the bars it allows you to shift front or rear derailleurs.

roger_merriman

Just set off, unless it's significantly uphill/headwind etc, should be able to pull away reasonably easly downshifting as and when.

But to be honest unless your cutting it fine, with burnt ambers and the like, I normally downshift as I roll/brake for the lights.

rickeverett

Doesn't happen much but when it has done, I do the latter... Front brake, stand on the ground with one foot clippedc and stand the rear wheel of the ground and pedal.. Bike doesn't move because you are holding out between your legs.