Tell me about the Arlington Loop

[lordofthemark]

Is it fair to say that riding east on the Custis its very good to be able to shift gears quickly and smoothly? I did the Arlington Loop again today (the wind wasn't nearly as bad as two weeks ago so just finishing is much less an accomplishment - I was faster of course, but not fast enough to want to talk about it) I got the strong impression that I went slower on the Custis and worked harder than I should have, even given my level of fitness, weight, bike, etc because I was not shifting smoothly or quickly enough to take advantage of downhills, get into the right gear for uphills, etc.

[vvill]

If you ride with gears yes I think it's a good place to learn and adapt your timing of your shifts to terrain.

[mstone]

Is it fair to say that riding east on the Custis its very good to be able to shift gears quickly and smoothly? I did the Arlington Loop again today (the wind wasn't nearly as bad as two weeks ago so just finishing is much less an accomplishment - I was faster of course, but not fast enough to want to talk about it) I got the strong impression that I went slower on the Custis and worked harder than I should have, even given my level of fitness, weight, bike, etc because I was not shifting smoothly or quickly enough to take advantage of downhills, get into the right gear for uphills, etc.

I'm now curious just how slow you shift.

[lordofthemark]

I'm now curious just how slow you shift.

I'm not sure I even know how to explain it. I have found some youtube videos that I think will help me, at least on uphills where I found myself having trouble downshifting.

[Jason B]

Shift early, shift often.
At least that worked for Eddy

[essigmw]

When you are going down hill be in your biggest cog, as you decend, shift down to the middle of your rear gears, then at the bottom drop your front cog to your middle (if 3) or lower (if 2) gear. You should transition quick, and if you need to tune it in you can shift in the rear as your momentum slows. The worst thing to do is to try to shift once you are really torquing the cranks, your derailers wil never respond quickly, and the front is always more touchy than the rear since it has so far (up or down) to travel. That said if you are on a moderate uphill, and your gears won't shift, lighten the load on your pedals and slow your cadence, and the gears should shift (especially if you have integrated hub gears. I found that the only way to shift a Capital Bikeshare bike is to sit back and take all strain off the pedals, then they will shift fine. Hope this helps. I once ripped through my 5th gear on my steel cassette by suddenly being in too big a gear on a steep little hill.

[acl]

at least on uphills where I found myself having trouble downshifting.

Shift earlier. Before you think you need to. And be conservative about it-- when in doubt, pick an easier gear. Once you're climbing and mashing hard on the pedals, your bike won't downshift easily.

//been there, done that//

[baiskeli]

When you are going down hill be in your biggest cog, as you decend, shift down to the middle of your rear gears, then at the bottom drop your front cog to your middle (if 3) or lower (if 2) gear. You should transition quick, and if you need to tune it in you can shift in the rear as your momentum slows. The worst thing to do is to try to shift once you are really torquing the cranks, your derailers wil never respond quickly, and the front is always more touchy than the rear since it has so far (up or down) to travel.

Yes, and it has to do it while the chain is under extreme tension. The front should always have just a little slack to work.