How to Better-Shift a Bicycle

A rapid cadence (or pedaling rate, measured in revolutions per minute) helps keep the feet moving smoothly. Anywhere from 75 to 80 revolutions is considered a good pedaling rate; pros aim for a rate of 90 rpm.

Utilizing your full gear range is the key to keeping a steady cadence. Your bike features two sets of gears. The ones up front are called chainrings; the ones in back are part of the rear cassette and are called cogs.

• Small Chainring—Found mainly on mountain and hybrid bikes, this ring is used for climbing steep trails and hills.
  
  
• Middle Chainring—This is the small chainring on many road bikes and is used for climbing or tight cornering situations. On mountain bikes and hybrid bikes, it is the "all-purpose" chainring, good for street or trail. It is also the chainring that works best with all of the cogs.
  
  
• Large Chainring—On a mountain bike, the large chainring is used mainly for descents or to pick up speed on the flats. It serves much the same function on road bikes.
  
  
• The Cogs—Numbering one through seven cogs (and even up to nine cogs) the rear cassette is responsible for the finer points of shifting. Say you see a slight rise coming on the trail. It is not big enough for you to go into your small chainring, but you know it will slow your cadence down. Time to shift to a larger cog.
  
  BEWARE: Try not to go from the large chainring to the large cog or the small chainring to the small cog. This results in undue wear on the gears and the chain. For more information on this phenomenon, read this discussion on crossover gears.

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Adapted from an article by our affiliate partner, REI.