# Help for newby! My bike is too easy!



## krispie9 (Jun 30, 2009)

I am new to riding (bought a bike after taking spin classes). I have a Trek WSD 1.2 and I am training for and Iron Girl competition. I have a problem, my bike is too easy! I can be on the biggest gears and my feet are still spinning like crazy! Old people on cruiser bikes are passing me. What am I doing wrong? Is it something I need to fix/change on my bike or is it a rider error? Please help, I feel so stupid, and I don't feel like I am getting much of a workout.


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## BikeRider (Aug 5, 2003)

When you say you are using the "biggest gears" do you mean the big chainring up front and the smallest diameter cog in the rear? Remember that using smaller cogs with fewer number of teeth in the rear increases your gear and using the bigger chainring in the front increases it as well.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

BikeRider said:


> When you say you are using the "biggest gears" do you mean the big chainring up front and the smallest diameter cog in the rear? Remember that using smaller cogs with fewer number of teeth in the rear increases your gear and using the bigger chainring in the front increases it as well.


Well-she has a 50-39-30 with an 11-26 in the back...a 50-11 should only spin out at what 30mph+?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Marc said:


> Well-she has a 50-39-30 with an 11-26 in the back...a 50-11 should only spin out at what 30mph+?


50x11 (120 inch gear) at 110 rpm will get you nearly 40 mph. Either she has a very slow notion of "spinning like crazy," or the old people on crusiers in her neighborhood are all retired pro racers, or she has a backward understanding of gear ratios, as BikeRider suggested.

Try some different gear combos, Krispie. You'll soon figure it out. And welcome to the road.


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## Hoffman (Jul 29, 2008)

Or she is maniacally strong AND there are lots of old retired pro racers on cruiser bikes. Could be.


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## krispie9 (Jun 30, 2009)

So I am using the biggest gear on the front and back. I will try using the smaller ones on the back. I am concerned I am shifting wrong, when I change the front gear it sounds normal, when I switch the back gears it sounds like my bike is going to fall apart... so I don't do it often. I should read my manual closer.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

krispie9 said:


> So I am using the biggest gear on the front and back. I will try using the smaller ones on the back. I am concerned I am shifting wrong, when I change the front gear it sounds normal, when I switch the back gears it sounds like my bike is going to fall apart... so I don't do it often. I should read my manual closer.


FYI-There are a few gear combinations that are mechanically bad for your drivetrain--the largest front/back being one. It is called cross chaining (if you want somethign to Google). Using this combination will prematurely wear out your drivetrain.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Let's try using language that a person new to the sport might understand.

On the front, the larger gears make you go faster.
On the rear, the smaller gears make you go faster.

Shift onto the larger gear on the front by pushing the left brake lever in until it clicks. Once should be enough to make a difference. You can do it again if you started out on the smallest one to begin with.
Shift into the smaller gears on the back using the little black lever behind the brake lever. One click, one gear.

One thing to try to avoid: try not to use the small gear up front with the two smallest gears on the back and, similarly, try not to use the largest gear up front with the two largest gears on the back. This increases wear on the drivetrain components.

It's amazing how people who aren't familiar with multi-speed bicycles don't quite comprehend the concept of using the different gears. I was riding with my 12 year old son who has been riding since he was 5 but has only owned a multi-speed mountain bike since he was 10 and I was telling him to just use whatever gear felt good to him but I noticed that he wasn't shifting when going up or down hills so I demonstrated it to him by dropping it into my granny (22 to 32 - mountain bike gears) and spinning like a madman popping the front wheel off the ground with every stroke doing only 3 MPH. He then started to use his gears properly. Now I'm trying to get him to spin instead of mashing the taller gears. Note that he's been riding his mountain bike for two years pretty much as a single-speed.

(edit - I see that I was typing and proofreading as you were posting your response)


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I just re-read my post in context with your last post and I realized that my post may seem demeaning to you. It was absolutely not my intent, but, since I don't know you personally, I have no way of knowing what you know about cycling.

Having said that, if your bike is making noises when shifting the rear then something is out of adjustment. Try shifting a few gears as it may be that it is hung up on one shift but getting it to shift further may be what it needs. If it makes noise in all of the gears except for the biggest one in the rear then bring it back to the shop and have them adjust it for you as it should not be making noises like that.


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## krispie9 (Jun 30, 2009)

it's not demeaning at all. I really don't know what I am doing, I just know I like riding outside... a lot, it's the mechanics I have to figure out. I am trying not to get discouraged. I don't have any friends who ride so I have a huge learning curve. Any and all advice is very useful.


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## IKnowYouRider (Jul 1, 2003)

http://bicycletutor.com/gear-shifting/


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

*ok krispie*

squid boy is basically right. weird name, but right. 

the quickest way to get greater resistance is to switch gears/change rings in the FRONT. one of those big ones is roughly equivalent to five or six of the smaller ones in back. if you are spinning out maniacally, push the left brake lever (the silver part) to the left to change from the smaller ring on the left to the larger ring on its right. you wont be spinning so fast anymore, trust me...lol


to use the rear casette (rings) use the shifter on the right side to move the chain towards the smaller rings. that small ring inthe rear, to repeat, provides the most resistance, i.e. is harder to pedal. the rear casette is easier to deal with because the changes in resistance are gradual as you shift gears, rather than the dramatic change you get by shifting the front gear (or gears if you have three rings in the front).

lastly, make sure to have your dealer set you up on the spinner and fit your bike. you paid enough for it. plus most dealers are pretty good guys and want to see you set up to use the equipment like it was intended, good for you, good for them, good for the bike company, good for business. someone spends two thousand bucks on a bike and doesn't even ask to get it fit, the dealer gets confused, and you can wind up walking out the door with, well, with an expensive bike that doesn't fit. make sure your riding position is optimal. 

and good luck. what are you doing inside anyways? u should be riding babe


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

To add one point to Squidward's explanation:

The rear shifting should be the easier, smoother one. Shifting in the back gives smaller jumps between gears, and normally you should be shifting the rear derailleur much more often than the front. If you get noise and grinding with rear shifts there's something that needs adjusting.

Try this practice routine for a while:

-Put the chain on the middle ring in front, and leave it there most of the time for a while. Shift up and down the gears in the back, without moving the front, to get an idea how it feels, and which direction to shift for different conditions (shifting to smaller cogs when you're "spun out" and want to go faster, and shifting to bigger cogs when you "bog down" going up a hill and want to spin faster).

-shift to the big front ring ONLY when you are spun out and want to go faster while turning the pedals slower. As soon as you shift to the big ring, do some shifts in the back to fine-tune your cadence (pedal speed).

-stay away from the smallest ring for a while, unless you have some very steep hills to deal with.

BTW, a terminology note: "ring" generally is shorthand for the gears in the front; "cog" is for the ones in back.

You'll get the hang of it quickly. 

You're right; riding outside is way more fun. You live in an area that has great cycling -- for half the year, anyway


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Lemme put it to you as simply as possible. 

As Squidward says, 

On the front the larger gears make you go faster. 
On the rear, the smaller gears make you go faster. 

Therefore, just for kicks, make it so your chain is on the biggest gear in the front and the smallest gear in the rear. Hard to pedal, right? Yeah. Now, make the pedaling easier in steps by incrementally shifting the rear derailleur so the chain goes onto ever larger rear rings. You can also make it easier by shifting the chain into the smaller gears in the front.

Find the combination of front and rear gears that is most comfortable for you in various situations. For example, if you're going uphill, you'll find the pedaling easier when the rear gear is bigger and the front gear is smaller. When you're going downhill, it's the opposite -- it's best to have the rear gear smaller and the front gear larger.

One final note: you have to be pedaling when you change the gears. It's the only way the machines work.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

My gf and I went to a bike shop this past weekend and she had your bike in a trainer to see what the fit was like. Your Trek 1.2 WSD bike has 1 long levers hiding behind each brake lever and 1 thumb levers located on the inside of the each brake hood. Therefore each side has one long lever and one thumb lever. 

1) Rule 1: Left hand long lever and thumb lever control the front derailleur (meaning the gearing in the crankset). Right hand long lever and thumb lever control the rear derailleur (meaning the back cogs) 

2. Left side long lever: By pushing it to the RIGHT (the only direction you can push it in)you are shifting the chain from the small chainring in your crank to THE RIGHT to the middle chainring. That will make it harder to pedal. Pushing the long left lever to the RIGHT again will move it from the middle chainring in your crank to the the largest chainring. That is the most difficult chainring to be in.

3. Left side thumb thumb lever: By pressing the thumb lever, you are moving from the larger chainring in the crank to a smaller chainring.

4. Right side long lever: By pushing the right long lever to the LEFT (the only direction you can push it in), you are moving the chain to the LEFT from the smaller cog to a larger cog in the back. THAT MEANS YOU ARE MAKING IT EASIER TO PEDAL. 

5. Right side thumb lever: By pressing the thumb lever, you are moving the chain from a larger cog in the back to a smaller cog at the back. That means you are making it harder to pedal.


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## krispie9 (Jun 30, 2009)

So I am going to try a couple of things:
Smaller gears on back to make pedaling harder
Stop cross chaining
Get my bike fitted (when I bought it they didn't seem to involved in this process)
Change gears more often for different terrains

Thank you everyone for your help.

Obviously if I am having trouble with this I have a lot to learn. If you have any other biking wisdom that you wish you knew when you started riding let me know!


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## rdolson (Sep 2, 2003)

Hey Krispie9!

Welcome to road cycling!

There is a great forum here called "Beginner's Corner" You would do well to surf around some of the posts there.

For a beginner, try spending most of your time in the middle gear up front, and then playing with the right shifter going up and down the gears in the back. If it makes a lot of noise, take it back to the shop and have them adjust the rear derailleur. If you don't feel like you are getting much "love" from the shop you bought it from, go to another shop....


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

*dont forget that front ring*

one simple shift--to the right and to the larger ring-- in front will increase resistance dramatically

dont forget to try that too. you probably wont wind up using the big fella as often, but if the lack of resistance is as profound as you said before, you should note the difference on the front gears right away


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