Specialized BICYCLE Owner's Manual page 31

CAUTION: Never move the shifter while pedaling backward, nor pedal
backwards immediately after having moved the shifter. This could
jam the chain and cause serious damage to the bicycle.
b. Shifting the Rear Derailleur
The rear derailleur is controlled by the right shifter.
The function of the rear derailleur is to move the drive chain from one gear
sprocket to another. The smaller sprockets on the gear cluster produce higher
gear ratios. Pedaling in the higher gears requires greater pedaling effort, but
takes you a greater distance with each revolution of the pedal cranks. The larger
sprockets produce lower gear ratios. Using them requires less pedaling effort,
but takes you a shorter distance with each pedal crank revolution. Moving the
chain from a smaller sprocket of the gear cluster to a larger sprocket results in a
downshift. Moving the chain from a larger sprocket to a smaller sprocket results
in an upshift. In order for the derailleur to move the chain from one sprocket to
another, the rider must be pedaling forward.
c. Shifting the Front Derailleur:
The front derailleur, which is controlled by the left shifter, shifts the chain
between the larger and smaller chainrings. Shifting the chain onto a smaller
chainring makes pedaling easier (a downshift). Shifting to a larger chainring
makes pedaling harder (an upshift).
where there are no obstacles, hazards or other traffic, until you've built up your
confidence. Learn to anticipate the need to shift, and shift to a lower gear before
the hill gets too steep. If you have difficulties with shifting, the problem could be
mechanical adjustment. See your dealer for help.
WARNING: Never shift a derailleur onto the largest or the smallest
sprocket if the derailleur is not shifting smoothly. The derailleur may
be out of adjustment and the chain could jam, causing you to lose
control and fall.
e. What if it won't shift gears?
If moving the shift control one click repeatedly fails to result in a smooth shift to
d. Which gear should I be in?
The combination of largest rear
and smallest front gears (fig. 16) is for
the steepest hills. The smallest rear
and largest front combination is for the
greatest speed. It is not necessary to
shift gears in sequence. Instead, find
the "starting gear" which is right for
your level of ability — a gear which is
hard enough for quick acceleration but
easy enough to let you start from a stop
without wobbling — and experiment
with upshifting and downshifting
to get a feel for the different gear
combinations. At first, practice shifting
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