Shifting Gears - Xtracycle 2016 EdgeRunner User Manual

important on descents, because descents shift weight forward.
Two keys to effective speed control and safe stopping are controlling wheel lockup and weight transfer.
Practice braking and weight transfer techniques where there is no traffic or other hazards and distractions.
Everything changes when you ride with heavy loads, on loose surfaces, or in wet weather. It will take
longer to stop. Tire adhesion is reduced on slippery or loose surfaces, so the wheels have less cornering and
braking traction and can lock up with less brake force. Moisture or dirt on the brake pads reduces their ability
to grip. The way to maintain control with heavy loads, or on loose or wet surfaces is to go more slowly.
D. Shifting gears
Your Xtracycle will have a derailleur drivetrain (see 1. below), a derailleur drivetrain with a Bosch electric
motor (see 2. below), or an internal gear hub drivetrain (see 3. below).
1. How a derailleur drivetrain works
If your Xtracycle has a derailleur drivetrain, the gear-changing mechanism will have:
• a rear cassette
• a rear derailleur
• two shifters
• three front sprockets called chainrings
• a drive chain
a. Shifting Gears
Your Xtracycle has rapid fire shifters. Ask your dealer to show you how they work.
The vocabulary of shifting can be pretty confusing. A downshift is a shift to a "lower" or "slower" gear, one
which is easier to pedal. An upshift is a shift to a "higher" or "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 smaller gear at the front, or up the gear "steps" to a larger
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 for 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.
W hether 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.
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
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