Gears in the drivetrain of a bike.
22
votes
5answers
941 views
Can you shift both the front and back gears simultanously?
Is it advisable to shift both the front and back gear simultaneously? Can this cause any damage?
3
votes
1answer
731 views
Is it practical to replace two sprockets on a cassette?
My bike has 53/39T chainrings and a cassette with 12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25 sprockets, but I like to ride up steep mountain roads. Is it possible (without great expense) to replace two sprockets to ...
1
vote
3answers
661 views
Efficient gear shifting
I've recent purchased a road bike bit of a classic with the downtube shifters, lugged steel frame etc etc.
Before I mainly road my fixie, thou I do have another geared bike, but it left a bit to ...
1
vote
2answers
328 views
SRAM force rear shifts go in the wrong direction when on largest cassette
I got a new bike about 6 months ago with SRAM Force on it. It's my first time riding SRAM and I love it except for one thing:
If I'm climbing and my RD is shifted all the way up ( to 28-tooth ) and ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
What difference does the range of gear size matter?
I get the idea of ratios and the obvious that a smaller gear on the front and a larger one on the back will give you an easier end result but what difference does the range of a chainset or groupset ...
2
votes
2answers
426 views
Converting downstem shifters to barcons
What considerations should be made for converting a downstem shifting system to barcons? Both the current system and the system that I would like are friction shifters.
The bike is a 1986 Peugeot ...
3
votes
1answer
381 views
What does double and triple gear shifters mean?
I am looking at these components and am wondering what does double and triple gear shifting mean?
Shimano R221 Double Gear Shifters 8 Speed
...
2
votes
2answers
523 views
Maintenance/Upgrades for Gary Fisher Joshua MTB
Let me start from the beginning:
About three years ago, I broke my leg after buying a Gary Fisher Joshua MTB, when I was just getting into road and cross-country riding. I've only started riding ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
Will 10 speed cranks work with an 8 speed freewheel?
I'm looking at building a road-bike, and I've just purchased some wheels with campagnolo hubs, with an 8 speed freewheel on the back.
Can I use Campagnolo Daytona / Veloce cranks on the front? I ...
2
votes
2answers
335 views
Townie gearing suddenly too easy
So the rear wheel (26x2) on my Electra Townie 7d broke its axle, and I ended up replacing it with a new 26x1.5 wheel, that being what the LBS had in stock. The bike seems a bit faster, which is nice, ...
1
vote
2answers
693 views
Replace S-RAM S7 gear hub with something better
I have an SRAM S7 gear on my bike, and I'm not content with it. I find it more or less impossible to get the adjustment right. Supposedly I just have to leave the shifter in position 7 and then ...
1
vote
2answers
5k views
Difference between Shimano HG51 8-Speed Cassette and Shimano HG50 8-Speed Cassette
Can anyone tell me the difference between Shimano HG51 and HG50 8-Speed Cassettes?
I can't find any information online about this so was hoping someone might be able to help me.
I am looking to ...
1
vote
1answer
177 views
Bicycle is Having a hard time Shifting — especially gears 13 and 14
21 speed commuter bike. Raleigh 2011 brand.
After my gear shifter cable was broken, I took it into the shop to get it fixed. (4 days ago). Ever since, when shifting, it takes forever to actually ...
8
votes
7answers
6k views
What range of sprockets is useful in a road bike cassette?
My road bike currently has a 27/39/53 crankset and a 13-26 cassette, both of which need to be replaced.
I occasionally find myself in both extremes—while heading up the very steep hills of the Bay ...
1
vote
3answers
6k views
How to fix problem with mountain bike chain falling off gears?
The chain on my girlfriend's bike came off the front gear today, it looks like the back gear changing mechanism isn't handling back-pedaling properly, whenever she pedals backwards the chain slacks ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Adivce on what to do next with crunching / slipping gears
About two weeks ago I took my bike to the local bike shop to get serviced. It was previously slipping gears under load and at the end I couldn't use the lowest gear going up hill it would just slip ...
1
vote
2answers
584 views
Chain “vibrates” on higher gears
My freewheel that I have installed myself only 1.5 years ago has totally worn out by the moment and so I just had it replaced along with a chain at the workshop. I'm still concerned though about the ...
4
votes
2answers
4k views
Why does my gear slip when going uphill / standing?
I have a road bike that I use to commute ~6 miles to work every day. Some of the portions of the ride are at a steep incline, and I've noticed that when I get up to stand on some of these hills, my ...
4
votes
6answers
9k views
Chain slipping on newish bike
I've looked at most of the answers for related questions and they all speak about replacing parts that are old.
I just bought a new bike from a friend who rode the bike for about a month before ...
25
votes
5answers
3k views
Perfectly setting up gears - how?
Every time I have my bike serviced, the bike shop sets up the gears on a stand in their workshop. The gears change perfectly on the stand, but when the bike is on the road, the rear derailleur doesn't ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Bike not changing correctly between two gears
I have only recently started riding to work and I've been given a bike by a friend which is in reasonably good shape.
For the way things are working out I keep the front gear in the same position and ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Does gear ratio affect Power?
Let me preface by saying that this may not be the right SE. I considered asking on the Physics SE, but I thought I might try here first. If it is wrong, I am not against it being migrated.
From basic ...
3
votes
1answer
333 views
Is my front derailleur angled straight?
I am attempting to adjust my front gears and have also been following a video to adjust the high/low position of my front derailleur.
The issue I am having is that the low adjustment is no where near ...
1
vote
1answer
405 views
Convert 9 speeed Campagnolo Ergo Levers to 10 Speed
A friend gave me a carbon set of campag record 9 speed ergos. I would love to convert the 9 to 10 Speed and I understand it is possible. I have read that some dealers will do it but the cost is ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
How do the adjustment barrels on a gear cable work?
I have a Shimano Sora derailleur on the bike I just bought with a triple chainring in the front. Right up by the shifters there is a sort of barrel adjuster on the cable. It doesn't seem to do ...
1
vote
2answers
216 views
Speed and the sizes of tires/gears
Does the speed of a normal mountain bike vary according to the diameter of the wheels? If it does, will a larger diameter increase the speed or decrease it?
Similarly, if the speed varies according ...
3
votes
1answer
145 views
Are the numbers on a shifter standardised?
My bike has several gears labelled one to six. Do these numbers relate specifically to a certain standard? In other words, would a bike set to say gear four on one bike, perform in the same way as ...
3
votes
2answers
229 views
Rear gears don't turn anticlockwise
I've taken the rear wheel off my bike but the rear gears are stuck and do not spin freely anticlockwise.
It had been out of use for about 4 days, kept in a dry garage. I took the wheel off because it ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Rear wheel not centred, presses against one of the brake pads (Rohloff hub, Magura rim brakes)
Upon replacing my rear brake pads, I noticed that my rear wheel is not properly centered.
The consequence is that the wheel is pressed against one of the brake pads, as can be seen in the pictures ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Replaced tyre and tube, now the rear gears will not stop
Just put on a tyre and innertube, fits perfectly, but now when I stop pedalling the gears at the back keep moving so the chain just sags down so much that it hits the wheel etc.
Any ideas on how to ...
0
votes
1answer
192 views
Are faceplates for different shimano brifters compatible?
I got a used brifter and the faceplate fell off. I am pretty sure it was a 105. It works well enough but it looks shitty.
Does anyone know if I can just order whichever shimano brifter faceplate, and ...
1
vote
2answers
5k views
Shimano Revoshift repair
My bike has a grip shift (Shimano revoshift) which isn't shifting through all 8 gears. Even with the gear cable removed (it recently broke) it will only shift through half of the gear numbers and ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Gear indicator on SRAM X5 Shifter shows wrong gear
I have SRAM X5 Shifters like this one:
The indicator is now showing the gear above the one I'm actually in, so if like the picture it shows a 2 I would actually be in 1 (the smallest chainring), a ...
2
votes
2answers
272 views
Has bicycle gearing become 'easier' over the last few decades?
If you look at a 10-12 speed bicycle from the days before indexed gears you have a 27"/700c wheel with a 42/52 chainset and a 14-28 freewheel. At the time such a setup was standard for High Street ...
0
votes
1answer
476 views
swap Shimano Alivio gear indicator for cover plate
I want to move my brake levers and gear shifters around a bit. The problem is my gears (Shimano Alivio, bought 4 years ago) have a large gear indicator on it. This is meaning that either the brakes ...
2
votes
1answer
983 views
Shimano Nexus Inter-3 internal gear hub stuck in second gear?
The situation My Shimano Nexus Inter-3 internal gear hub is stuck in second gear (it's a 3-gear hub). When I take the external cable housing apart, I can move the pin that goes inside to change gears, ...
5
votes
2answers
213 views
What's the deal with the axle of my wheels? (or, why is one gear so much smaller than the other?)
I want to put a smaller set of gears on my bike, but looking at the wheel I see that I already have the smallest gear for my axle. Comparing it to another wheel, I found that the other wheel has a ...
4
votes
2answers
160 views
Switching from 3x9 Gears to Cheaper Ones?
Alert I am unsure of the right terminology for gear-wheel but I mean the round things near pedals such as 3x9 or typically with 3x7 (3 front, 7 back) mix in commuting bikes.
My current gears are 3x9 ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
What are the advantage of the different gear shifters
I have just buy for the first time a road bike (Boardman Team Carbon) after long years on hybrids bike and unfortunately due of a injury I didn't have much time to experience with it.
The bike has a ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
What's the shortest / easiest “granny gear” available?
What's the range on granny gears - the innermost, smallest front chainring?
5
votes
2answers
410 views
Do you need to lubricate gears after cleaning gears and chain?
I just cleaned my gears and chain with a biodegradable degreaser. I'm going to lubricate my chain. Do I also need to lubricate the gears or do I just pedal and make sure that I hit all gears? Will the ...
6
votes
1answer
367 views
Chain clicks when the back wheel is in highest and lowest gears
When I have my back wheel gears in either the lowest gear or highest gear, my chain clicks as I peddle. How do I fix this?
10
votes
6answers
3k views
How many effective gears do I have on a 21 speed bike?
I have a 21 speed bike (a hybrid commuting bike). But AFAIK, this does not mean that I have 21 different gear ratios. Is there any way to calculate the different gear ratios?
12
votes
3answers
775 views
Should I clean the grease off the gears?
I usually keep my chain well lubricated. However, my gears are usually greasy. Should I be cleaning the gears or are they supposed to be greasy?
6
votes
1answer
641 views
Rear Derailleur Cage Lengths
What effect does the length of the cage on a rear derailleur make to bike setup/shifting?
