how do you ride a 21 speed bike ?

Question

Ii just bought a schwinn bike, but I cant figure out how to wrk the gears. There are times that Im going down hill with the perfect gear, but as soon as I hit an up hill I loose momentum, I pedal and dont go anywhere. Any tips wil help. thanks !

Answer 1

You have 3 gears (Front), controled by your left hand shifters. You have 7 gears at the rear, controled by the right hand shifters.

The bigger the front cog, the faster you will go, but it takes effort. So if you are in 3,7 - this will be ideal for downhill or straight and level. A slight rise might benefit from 3,6 or 3,5.

If going accross country, you might want to use the middle front ring more -2,5 or 2,6.

So back to your down hill then up. The trick is to change gear before you hit the climb. So when you are still going down, change to 3,5 or, if you think it will be a hard climb, 2,5.

The trick with hills is not to pull too large a gear. You want your peddles to move quickly. So a smoother, more frantic peddle, is more desirable than standing up on the peddles and trying to force the thing up the hill.

Basically, it takes practice. Try riding with better riders, you will soon get the idea.

Luck

Answer 2

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RE:
how do you ride a 21 speed bike ?
Ii just bought a schwinn bike, but I cant figure out how to wrk the gears. There are times that Im going down hill with the perfect gear, but as soon as I hit an up hill I loose momentum, I pedal and dont go anywhere. Any tips wil help. thanks !

Answer 3

Randi j is right. Also pedal as you change gears. Make sure you gear changes before you reach the "hill". By having the smallest gear in the front and the biggest gear in the back you should no problem going up a very steep hill.
Also you would want to keep up your pedaling cadence around 60-70 rpm while approaching the hill, then pedaling up the hill. Maybe even faster, it depends on the incline.
With practice and more time on the bike you'll get the hang of cycling with the gear selections.

Answer 4

Riding classic 21 speed bike for commuting is eazy enough even uphill under the loaded bicycle with rack and panniers if you know how to shift ..... Gear is really nice space it , I am shure that you run 48 -11 . It is not bad gearing at all for MTB or hybrid bike . Just try shifting sooner and keep cadence up . If you are not strong cyclist or you are cycling in hilly terrein most of the time ask mechanick in bike shop if he change for you crank from 48 to 44 or 42 ..... Good luck and keep cycling .

Answer 5

I am guessing that you have a mountain type bicycle. Use the shifters on the left to change the gears on the front. This will have the most noticeable change. Use the right to change the gears in the back. Use the middle one on the front most of the time for normal riding and change the rear when you speed up or slow down. Use the big one on the front for going fast on the flats or down hill and the small one for going up hill. It is just the opposite for the rear gears. Use the big one for going up hill and the smaller one for going fast. You may want to get comfortable changing gears before you go for a longer ride. Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions.

Answer 6

If your feet fly around, but the bike does not go foward: shift into harder gear.

If you are having trouble spinning cause it is too hard: shift into easier gear. You can also stand up and keep your weight over peds for extra leverage.

If you are in your easiest gear and cannot spin it...you need to walk your bike up that hill.

Better to err on the side of easy and bad to shift when you are powering the cranks....can mees up the gearing/chain: So plan to shift down (easier to spin) prior to the hill.

Shift a lot....better to shift then work to hard in a too hard gear and get tired out or to spin hard in a too low gear and work to hard to get up to speed. Shift...

When you go down try to be aero (think Lance) and pick up your speed again as it flats so you keep you momentium for the next hill.

Also, if you have not mastered shifting...you are need more parcatice!!!! This is a manditor skill for group rides.

Answer 7

when you climb hills, go with low gears, down hills and you want more speed, go with really high gear, flat surfaces go with kindda middle, 2 and 4. I use 2 and 4 for all this terrains

Answer 8

when you go down a hill, you use the smaller gears on the back and the larger ones on the front. when you start going uphill you need to shift down so it becomes easier to pedal.