Shifting Gears; Shifting The Rear Derailleur - RIDLEY Bicycle Use And Maintenance Booklet

6.4.3. Shifting Gears

There are many different types of shifter mechanisms, each preferred for
specific types of application because of its ergonomic, performance and
price characteristics. The designers of your bike have selected the shifter
design that they believe will give the best results on your bike. The
different types of shifters and their operation are illustrated in Figures 18A
through 18H. Identify the shifters on your bike before reading on.
The vocabulary of shifting can be
pretty confusing. A downshift is a
shift to a "slower" gear, one that is
easier to pedal. An upshift is a
shift to a "faster", harder to pedal
gear. What's confusing is that
what's happening at the front
derailleur is the opposite of what's
happening at the rear derailleur
(for details, read the instructions
on Shifting the Rear Derailleur and
Shifting the Front Derailleur
below). For example, you can
select a gear which will make
pedaling easier on a hill (make a
downshift) in one of two ways: shift
the chain down the gear "steps" to
a lower gear at the front, or up the
gear "steps" to a higher gear at the
rear. So, at the rear gear cluster,
what is called a downshift looks
like an upshift. The way to keep
things straight is to remember that
shifting the chain in towards the
centerline of the bike is
accelerating and climbing, and is called a downshift. Moving the
chain out or away from the centerline of the bike is for speed, and is
called an upshift.
Whether upshifting or downshifting, the bicycle derailleur system
design requires that the drive chain be moving forward and be under
at least some tension. A derailleur will shift only if you are pedaling
forward.
6.4.3.a. 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 to
another on the rear gear cluster, thereby changing gear drive ratios.
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.
for
27
CAUTION: Never move the shifter
while pedaling backward, nor pedal
backwards after having moved the
shifter. This could jam the chain and
cause serious damage
bicycle.
WARNING: Never shift
misadjusted derailleur onto
largest or the smallest sprocket. The
chain could jam, causing you to lose
control and fall.
to the
a
the