Dynacraft SINGLE SPEED Owner's Manual page 79

3. 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 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.
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 disen-
gage the chain from one sprocket and move it onto another, the chain must be moving forward (i.e. the rider
must be pedaling forward).
4. 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). Which gear should I be in? The combination of largest rear,
smallest front gears is for the steepest hills. The smallest rear, 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 a 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. Once you've learned the basics, experience will teach you which gear is appropriate for
which condition, and practice will help you shift smoothly and at precisely the optimum moment.
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HOW THINGS WORK