Which Bike Gears to use and when

SucCes09

My cycling is shocking...
So when i was watching some recent tri stuff on the tv recently i noted that the top ironmen were pushing low gears and rolling along.
what i was wondering is if this was the best strategy for cycling in the tri events, or should we be looking for the higher cadence option...
Obviously hills will require higher gears to get up, but generally speaking, on the flat, what should i be using, and training with...

tunney

SucCes09 wrote: »

My cycling is shocking...
So when i was watching some recent tri stuff on the tv recently i noted that the top ironmen were pushing low gears and rolling along.
what i was wondering is if this was the best strategy for cycling in the tri events, or should we be looking for the higher cadence option...
Obviously hills will require higher gears to get up, but generally speaking, on the flat, what should i be using, and training with...

Different strokes for different folks. And to be even more obtuse for the same individual sometimes a high cadence is best, others a low cadence. Experience is the key here.

SucCes09

So if all my training is high cadence based, i should look at putting in some cycling in the lower gears also?

cfitz

Can someone here please clarify the naming conventions for gears on a bicycle?

I understand that a high cadence means that you are turning the pedals a lot relative to the distance the wheels are moving. Correct?

But I thought that a high gear meant few pedal revolutions relative to the distance the wheels are moving (similar to a car's gears - 5th gear is 'higher' than 1st gear). Is this correct?

MrJones

Does anyone think that with the internet these days, people seem to just want to ask about everything and anything instead of thinking for themselves and actually figuring out something.
What did people do in years gone by the 70's for instance?
For example i have seen threads where people post exactly what they eat before races or during races? Its different for ever person, trial and error is the onyl way in this case, and sure the beauty of it all is making mistakes and learning from them..Again sure changin gears on a bike is down to trial and error and seeing what works best for you.
Dont meant to be negative, just something that i noticed

kennyb3

cfitz wrote: »

Can someone here please clarify the naming conventions for gears on a bicycle?

I understand that a high cadence means that you are turning the pedals a lot relative to the distance the wheels are moving. Correct?

But I thought that a high gear meant few pedal revolutions relative to the distance the wheels are moving (similar to a car's gears - 5th gear is 'higher' than 1st gear). Is this correct?

all the above is correct btw. im no cycling expert but if you ve any more questions fire away.

also here is a link to read

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-2055561805.html

Pherekydes

SucCes09 wrote: »

My cycling is shocking...
So when i was watching some recent tri stuff on the tv recently i noted that the top ironmen were pushing low gears and rolling along.
what i was wondering is if this was the best strategy for cycling in the tri events, or should we be looking for the higher cadence option...
Obviously hills will require higher gears to get up, but generally speaking, on the flat, what should i be using, and training with...

Your terminology is the wrong way around. You use a low gear going up hills and a high gear on the flat, downhill or downwind. You should try different gears on a flat, windless day to see which cadence feels the most efficient for yourself. You should also note that starting off a higher cadence will feel uncomfortable for a while. You should try to persist with a higher cadence for a while before abandoning it.

One tactic you could try is to pick a speed you can comfortably maintain and try different gears and see if you can maintain that speed with higher or lower gears.

SucCes09

thanks KennyB3 - that was something along the lines of what i was looking for - and thanks to everyone else for correcting my terminology!

Running Bing

MrJones wrote: »

Does anyone think that with the internet these days, people seem to just want to ask about everything and anything instead of thinking for themselves and actually figuring out something.

Yeah, its absolutely crazy that people would seek advice from those more experienced than themselves

Funkyzeit

SucCes09 wrote: »

My cycling is shocking...
So when i was watching some recent tri stuff on the tv recently i noted that the top ironmen were pushing low gears and rolling along.
what i was wondering is if this was the best strategy for cycling in the tri events, or should we be looking for the higher cadence option...
Obviously hills will require higher gears to get up, but generally speaking, on the flat, what should i be using, and training with...

IMO - think it's an individual thing - I like spinning as opposed to grinding

Before you worry about your cadence though - try to sort out your 'sticking your hand in a moving wheel' technique....;)

Might be worth posting in cycling forum - pletny of TT experts there.

Clum

MrJones wrote: »

What did people do in years gone by the 70's for instance?

According to tv the 70s were just a big love fest so I doubt there was any cycling done, so there was probably no need to ask each other for these kinds of tips.

SucCes09

Funkyzeit wrote: »

Before you worry about your cadence though - try to sort out your 'sticking your hand in a moving wheel' technique....;)
/quote]

Special technique involved there. One day I will master it... One day...

Stark

MrJones wrote: »

Does anyone think that with the internet these days, people seem to just want to ask about everything and anything instead of thinking for themselves and actually figuring out something.
What did people do in years gone by the 70's for instance?

Asked others in their local club.