Cannondale Bicycle Owner's Manual page 34

PaRt i
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
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.
Figure 16.
A. Hills
1. Smallest front
2. Chain
3. Largest rear
B. Greatest Speed
4. Largest front
5. Smallest rear
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 the next gear chances
are that the mechanism is out of adjustment. Take the
bike to your dealer to have it adjusted.
2. how an internal gear hub drivetrain works
If your bicycle has an internal gear hub drivetrain, the
gear changing mechanism will consist of:
• a 3, 5, 7, 8, 12 speed or possibly an infinitely
variable internal gear hub
• one, or sometimes two shifters
• one or two control cables
• one front sprocket called a chainring
• a drive chain
a. shifting internal gear hub gears
Shifting with an internal gear hub drivetrain is simply
a matter of moving the shifter to the indicated
position for the desired gear. After you have moved
the shifter to the gear position of your choice, ease
the pressure on the pedals for an instant to allow the
hub to complete the shift.
b. Which gear should i be in?
The numerically lowest gear (1) is for the steepest
hills. The numerically largest gear is for the greatest
speed.
32