I have been driving for years but not manual. On auto. Anyone can explain if it is hard to change gears everytime in the road or something... :SHow hard is it to drive a manual?
I didn't find it hard it also depends on your instructor, and how they teach you, i found learning to ride a motorbike way harder.How hard is it to drive a manual?
I never wanted to learn to drive a manual shift, but I moved to Italy where most cars are manual. At age 48 I learned to do it and it wasn't hard at all. Just find someone you trust and who knows how to do it to teach you. The key is to practice as much as possible.
Give it a try. If I could do it, anyone can!
Its easy peasy. The engine will scream at you to change gear.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
How do I find a Gear Shift?
I just got a 2000 Ford Focus, and it's about the cutest little thing that I wanted. However, the gear shift is broken. I'm not sure if it is actually called a gear shift, it's what's underneath the gear shift not the thing that I change gears with. It's cracked and isn't in the best condition. I really want to get it fixed but I don't even know what it's technically called! If anyone could help that would be amazing!
1 - What is the technical name for it?
2 - Where can I find a new one?
3 - What should I expect to pay.How do I find a Gear Shift?
Dealer idem %26gt; Go to the parts department%26gt;How do I find a Gear Shift?
Hope this link will help you, But if you have any trouble locating the name, go to the Ford Parts Department and look at their Screen on their computer and get a part number and picture, this will help you locate and have a idea on the price you are going to spend.
Having been in the industry many years, there are names created by the manufacture to misinform the ID of a part. So even when the item is longer available from the dealership at times, they can guide you were to go. Junk Yard, E-Bay, Ford Forum, Another Dealership, or special order from the factory.
Many times it is cheaper if you can buy at the Dealership, for you know the part will be the correct one, has a warranty, will fit, and meets all safety requirements. Good Luck
maybe you are referring to the synchros.
don't have an answer for the second one.
third one...alot
Good luck!
The linkage is internal and if that be the problem, you will need the services of a transmission shop. Possible broken shifter fork. Good Luck. If really bad, consider a used transmission from a salvage company. Start at $250.00 and go up from there.
1 - What is the technical name for it?
2 - Where can I find a new one?
3 - What should I expect to pay.How do I find a Gear Shift?
Dealer idem %26gt; Go to the parts department%26gt;How do I find a Gear Shift?
Hope this link will help you, But if you have any trouble locating the name, go to the Ford Parts Department and look at their Screen on their computer and get a part number and picture, this will help you locate and have a idea on the price you are going to spend.
Having been in the industry many years, there are names created by the manufacture to misinform the ID of a part. So even when the item is longer available from the dealership at times, they can guide you were to go. Junk Yard, E-Bay, Ford Forum, Another Dealership, or special order from the factory.
Many times it is cheaper if you can buy at the Dealership, for you know the part will be the correct one, has a warranty, will fit, and meets all safety requirements. Good Luck
maybe you are referring to the synchros.
don't have an answer for the second one.
third one...alot
Good luck!
The linkage is internal and if that be the problem, you will need the services of a transmission shop. Possible broken shifter fork. Good Luck. If really bad, consider a used transmission from a salvage company. Start at $250.00 and go up from there.
Why is my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle's chain jumping?
When I'm riding my Surly Long Haul Trucker bike, the chain keeps jumping around--I can't tell what the problem is, or how to fix it. It does this even when I don't change gears.Why is my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle's chain jumping?
It can be just a simple barrel adjustment on the rear derailleur. Watch this video and don't touch the screws.
http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-rear-dera
Make sure you are not cross chaining.
http://bicycletutor.com/gear-shifting/Why is my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle's chain jumping?
If you have changed the rear cassette and did not replace the chain, it will skip. It could also be out of alignment. There is a barrel screw where the cable goes into the rear derailleur. It adjusts the derailleur to the cassette laterally. It may need to be adjusted. If you've had an accident lately, it could be that your derailleur hanger is out of whack. Prolly nothing to do with chain tension. That's all I can think of right now.
It can be just a simple barrel adjustment on the rear derailleur. Watch this video and don't touch the screws.
http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-rear-dera
Make sure you are not cross chaining.
http://bicycletutor.com/gear-shifting/Why is my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle's chain jumping?
If you have changed the rear cassette and did not replace the chain, it will skip. It could also be out of alignment. There is a barrel screw where the cable goes into the rear derailleur. It adjusts the derailleur to the cassette laterally. It may need to be adjusted. If you've had an accident lately, it could be that your derailleur hanger is out of whack. Prolly nothing to do with chain tension. That's all I can think of right now.
My bike is making a popping sound, whats wrong?
It almost sounds like its changing gears, but more painfully. It doesn't happen every revolution of the pedals but still happens regularly every few times. Also, I've noticed the rear derailer has been having trouble finding the highest and lowest gears lately. Any advice on what the problem is and how to fix it would be greatly appreciatedMy bike is making a popping sound, whats wrong?
sounds to me..... that you don't oil your chain.....
most likely you have a couple links that do not move and bend the way they should, and therefore every time they go around.... they jump, and cause a popping noise.
OIL THE CHAIN..... then bend the frozen links back and forth... oil those again..... and see what happens.
if the noise persists.... take it in to a bike dealers... they get you straight again.My bike is making a popping sound, whats wrong?
My dear friend, check the chain, some of the links may be broken. GOD Bless you.
You need to work on the tensions on your cable. adjust your barrel adjusters (blck things on the ends of the cables) to get the bike to shift smoothly. Also, your chain could be too long (they will stretch over time).
If it's popping every few strokes it is highly likely that your chain has a stiff link or is worn out. Clean and lube your chain. Inspect the chain for frozen links. You can usually work it free by applying pressure side to side on the problem links. If it continues a new chain may be in order.
your chain might not be tight. If you tighten it and the problem still continues, just take it to a local bike shop and for a small fee they'll fix it :P
It's likely something to do with your derailer or chain tension. This happened to my bike once and the next thing that happened was my derailer ripped itself right off one day. Unfortunately, it's been quite a while since I've had to fix such a thing and I can't explain it off the top of my head.
first check for something loose or broken.
If you find a defect fix it.
If everything is ok realign the rear axel.
good luck.
get harpy to stp riding bik is no god for bik always weer helmbut nd potecton
Because you mentioned that it's not shifting to the high/low cogs easily, I think you should take it to a shop and have them check the derailleur hanger alignment for a few bucks. Hangers are easy to tweak or bend and they cause all kinds of shifting problems when that happens.
Yes, it could be a stiff or worn chain, but it sounds like the hanger to me. Also, check to be sure that the space between each cog isn't loaded up with grease, dirt, or grass...that can cause the same thing. A clean drivetrain is great medicine for shifting problems. :o)
I tend to agree with Ride Urban with the rear derailleur alignment BUT it could also be a worn chain or a chain with stiff links.
The clues I am zoning in on are that it happens every few revolutions of the pedal (worn/stiff chain) and having trouble getting to the high and low gears (hanger alignment).
To check the chain, just go along and bend each link by hand- you'll immediately fell if any are stiff. Take a 12'; scale and measure from the center of one link to the center of the link closest to the 12'; mark. If it exceeds 12 1/8';, time for a new chain, possibly new chainrings and cassette as well depending on damage.
To check hanger alignment requires a special tool so you'll need a trip to the shop.
How long have you had the bike? It might be time to change the gears and chain because it sounds worn and when the gears are slipping it's an indication that the chain has stretched. Try oiling your chain and gears and if that doesn't work it's time for some new gear and chain replacement.vc excel
sounds to me..... that you don't oil your chain.....
most likely you have a couple links that do not move and bend the way they should, and therefore every time they go around.... they jump, and cause a popping noise.
OIL THE CHAIN..... then bend the frozen links back and forth... oil those again..... and see what happens.
if the noise persists.... take it in to a bike dealers... they get you straight again.My bike is making a popping sound, whats wrong?
My dear friend, check the chain, some of the links may be broken. GOD Bless you.
You need to work on the tensions on your cable. adjust your barrel adjusters (blck things on the ends of the cables) to get the bike to shift smoothly. Also, your chain could be too long (they will stretch over time).
If it's popping every few strokes it is highly likely that your chain has a stiff link or is worn out. Clean and lube your chain. Inspect the chain for frozen links. You can usually work it free by applying pressure side to side on the problem links. If it continues a new chain may be in order.
your chain might not be tight. If you tighten it and the problem still continues, just take it to a local bike shop and for a small fee they'll fix it :P
It's likely something to do with your derailer or chain tension. This happened to my bike once and the next thing that happened was my derailer ripped itself right off one day. Unfortunately, it's been quite a while since I've had to fix such a thing and I can't explain it off the top of my head.
first check for something loose or broken.
If you find a defect fix it.
If everything is ok realign the rear axel.
good luck.
get harpy to stp riding bik is no god for bik always weer helmbut nd potecton
Because you mentioned that it's not shifting to the high/low cogs easily, I think you should take it to a shop and have them check the derailleur hanger alignment for a few bucks. Hangers are easy to tweak or bend and they cause all kinds of shifting problems when that happens.
Yes, it could be a stiff or worn chain, but it sounds like the hanger to me. Also, check to be sure that the space between each cog isn't loaded up with grease, dirt, or grass...that can cause the same thing. A clean drivetrain is great medicine for shifting problems. :o)
I tend to agree with Ride Urban with the rear derailleur alignment BUT it could also be a worn chain or a chain with stiff links.
The clues I am zoning in on are that it happens every few revolutions of the pedal (worn/stiff chain) and having trouble getting to the high and low gears (hanger alignment).
To check the chain, just go along and bend each link by hand- you'll immediately fell if any are stiff. Take a 12'; scale and measure from the center of one link to the center of the link closest to the 12'; mark. If it exceeds 12 1/8';, time for a new chain, possibly new chainrings and cassette as well depending on damage.
To check hanger alignment requires a special tool so you'll need a trip to the shop.
How long have you had the bike? It might be time to change the gears and chain because it sounds worn and when the gears are slipping it's an indication that the chain has stretched. Try oiling your chain and gears and if that doesn't work it's time for some new gear and chain replacement.
2001 Volkswagen Jetta Owners please help me?
I own a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg edition. Its one of the nicest cars I've ever driven. However today the engine malfunctioned and cut off after I switched to 2nd gear and it wouldnt start again. Yes I know how to drive stick and every time I change gears I make sure I press the clutch all the way to the bottom. But today right before the engine cut off there was this weird and nasty grinding sound, I imagine it was the timing chain. the car is used and I know Jetta's need their timing chain changed every 65000 miles before a serious malfunction.I've only had it for one day But this is the first time it has happened to me since its the first Jetta I've ever owned and Im worried about the car, . Was the sound I heard before the car cutted off the timing chain snapping or something else ?2001 Volkswagen Jetta Owners please help me?
Well the nasty grinding sound could be a couple of things. It could very well be the timing chain, or the turbo breaking, or the rods cracking, or the pistons blowing a ring, Its really hard to say without opening the engine up. My wife an I have a 2001 Wolfsburg also. It has 108,000 miles on it and it runs great. the only problem that we have had is the piping came loose by the factory intercooler and was loosing boost by blowing air out. 10 minutes it was fixed and running strong again.2001 Volkswagen Jetta Owners please help me?
most likely the timing belt snapped, this is bad. With the broken belt you will need all the associated items to get to and replace the bent intake valves and possibly the exhaust valves. to check the belt, pop the cover on the passenger side of the engine. if the belt is loose or obviously broken then the above repair is needed which unfortunately is labor intensive. good luck
I have an 01 Jetta too, it's pretty, fun to drive, and I like it but it is a very unreliable little car. I've had mine for 6 months and mine broke down the first day I had it too and so far I've put about $2500 in fixing it and it still needs another $1000 in repairs right now. It's a nice car but it's a love hate relationship. I'd find a good mechanic who is used to working on VW's and become their friend, that's what I did and I have his number saved in my phone.
That doesn't sound like the timing belt to me. When the belt went out on my last Jetta, it made no sound even though I was in 3rd gear. It just quit going into gear so I had to brake and pull over and call a tow truck.
Also, the car should still start even with the belt out.
Well the nasty grinding sound could be a couple of things. It could very well be the timing chain, or the turbo breaking, or the rods cracking, or the pistons blowing a ring, Its really hard to say without opening the engine up. My wife an I have a 2001 Wolfsburg also. It has 108,000 miles on it and it runs great. the only problem that we have had is the piping came loose by the factory intercooler and was loosing boost by blowing air out. 10 minutes it was fixed and running strong again.2001 Volkswagen Jetta Owners please help me?
most likely the timing belt snapped, this is bad. With the broken belt you will need all the associated items to get to and replace the bent intake valves and possibly the exhaust valves. to check the belt, pop the cover on the passenger side of the engine. if the belt is loose or obviously broken then the above repair is needed which unfortunately is labor intensive. good luck
I have an 01 Jetta too, it's pretty, fun to drive, and I like it but it is a very unreliable little car. I've had mine for 6 months and mine broke down the first day I had it too and so far I've put about $2500 in fixing it and it still needs another $1000 in repairs right now. It's a nice car but it's a love hate relationship. I'd find a good mechanic who is used to working on VW's and become their friend, that's what I did and I have his number saved in my phone.
That doesn't sound like the timing belt to me. When the belt went out on my last Jetta, it made no sound even though I was in 3rd gear. It just quit going into gear so I had to brake and pull over and call a tow truck.
Also, the car should still start even with the belt out.
Back tire on my bicycle won't spin with chain, how to fix it?
The bike is Shimano Orion Vision 14 speed.
When I pedal forwards or backwards the back wheel wont move at all. The wheel does move though if spinned manually. Can also change gears still. Seems like something is missing from connecting the wheel to the chain. Any ideas how to fix it?Back tire on my bicycle won't spin with chain, how to fix it?
You need a new freewheel.
http://bicycletutor.com/replace-freewheeBack tire on my bicycle won't spin with chain, how to fix it?
depends if you have a freeweel or a cassette. If you have a freewheel you just need to replace it If you have a cassette, it's possible that you might have to replace the whole hub.
When I pedal forwards or backwards the back wheel wont move at all. The wheel does move though if spinned manually. Can also change gears still. Seems like something is missing from connecting the wheel to the chain. Any ideas how to fix it?Back tire on my bicycle won't spin with chain, how to fix it?
You need a new freewheel.
http://bicycletutor.com/replace-freewheeBack tire on my bicycle won't spin with chain, how to fix it?
depends if you have a freeweel or a cassette. If you have a freewheel you just need to replace it If you have a cassette, it's possible that you might have to replace the whole hub.
How to deal with steep climbs?
Hi there
After a circuit of nine kilometres I came to climb a quite steep hill.
I approached the hill at a speed of 17km/h, had to change gear to second “Sprocket” the middle one
Soon after this I had to change the rear sprockets to the biggest one to have an easy climb.
By the time I reached the top I was in agony.
I am sure that there must be a skill to tackle these climbs. But the question is, how?
Please need your advice. Many thanks.
TAHow to deal with steep climbs?
G-man has a good answer, As you approach a climb downshift the crank (ring) gears first before the load gets heavy or you stand a good chance of ';chain-suck'; where the chain will not drop to the next lower chain ring. As the climb goes on downshift the rear gears to keep your cadence up, once your cadence drops a lot and you start grinding at a low rpm the climb just gets harder, so the best rule is shift and shift as often as needed to maintain a good cadence. As G-man posted better to finish slow than walk. If this is a trail that you ride often you will eventually find a way to carry as much momentum to the base of the climb and what gears you need to be in, I've seen a lot of riders over the years come to a steep climb and just a few yards before slow down and down shift way to early and into too low a gear, all that does is make the climb last longer.
EDIT: Just fuel for thought, if you want to see how well you are doing get a heart rate monitor, when climbing you can use this to monitor your effort and how hard you can push the pace.How to deal with steep climbs?
You did the right move just need more riding to get used to harder climbs that is my goal this year so regular riding would be a lot easier .
A suggestion... the object is to climb the grade isn't it? If a rider goes too hard at the bottom of a long climb he/she may end up giving out before the top. An old timer cyclist gave me this advice some time ago... do your downshifting at the bottom of the climb. Get into a nice easy pace that you'll be able to maintain for the entire climb and stay at that pace. You won't get to the top first but you will get to the top without becoming completely spent or... worse yet, having to get off and walk the last few yards.
If you follow this advice, you may not be the first one to get to the top but there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that will get there without all that agony you mentioned. I've successfully used his advice over the past 10 years of cycling and am proud to say that I've never not made it on a climb. While not usually the first one to the top, I've never had to walk it up or just given up because of overdoing it at the bottom. The secret is pacing yourself.
As far as the training angle goes, save those all out efforts for use on the smaller climbs that you know you can handle and your performance will continue to improve over time but gear it down a bit on those really steep grades.
G-Man and that old timer has it exactly right, follow there advice and you should have any problems. Good answer G-man.
Carry as much speed into the hill as you can. When you can't keep up the cadence any more, then shift down A LOT into a gear where you can keep the cadence that you entered with. Stay seated. Spin your way up the hill. You will get to the top faster in the long run, and still have energy left. Think of it this way: Would you rather lift a 2 pound weight 200 times or a 200 pound weight twice?
Don't try to emulate the pros you see on TV dancing on the pedals up incredible climbs. The average person can't do even half of what those guys do. That's why they are professionals. Sometimes I think they are a different species, nothing but legs, lungs, and heart.
HTH
i'm assuming since you are measuring distances, you are talking about road. i'm a mountain biker, but same principles apply. take g-man's advice, it's about the cadence. in mountain biking especially, always shift before the climb, this will help you keep a steady pace while you spin on the saddle and it will also protect your chain from jerky movements. if it's a short climb, take it with speed and muscle your way through. as far as the ';agony,'; it's always going to hurt, it's about being prepared for the pain that makes the difference....practice, practice, practice.
a. shift before the hill - it;s hard on your bike to shift under heavy strain - plus it may not shift at all if you pedal too hard - or the chain may come off and you go down
b. if there is no traffic and you can;t shift - zigzag - gives you less of a grade
c. you don;t say if ';second “Sprocket” the middle one'; is the smallest front or not - use the smallest front and biggest rear
d. other than that, the only skill is just do it
wle
There is no universal answer. Every hill is a bit different. You don't mention the length of the hill and that (plus the steepness) determine how you should handle it. Your bike must also be considered. And finally, it matters whether you want to get up as quickly as possible or simply make it to the top. I'll assume the aim is getting up, not racing.
That said, if a hill is fairly short and steep you can potentially ';power'; up it if you have enough momentum when starting the climb. Basically, you would accelerate as you approach the hill, but shift down as you go up, so as to maintain a reasonable cadence.
But it sounds like you are a) riding a three-speed bike , and b) it is a longish hill.
The type of bike doesn't change the basic strategy (but it does limit your options somewhat). If you know you are going to have to use your lowest gear well before the top, there is no point in attacking the hill, but neither do you want to waste momentum either. So pedal ';normally'; as you reach the hill, and as momentum bleeds off shift to your next lower gear and the next as necessary, but being sure to switch before the going gets really tough. The idea is that you don't want to have to shift too late ... i.e. ';under load'; ... since this can lead to problems (even falling off the bike), but you don't want to shift too soon since this wastes momentum. If in doubt shift early. The key is to try to maintain pedal cadence ... that's your guide and you use gears to achieve it.
If you have a 3-speed bike you will quickly be in your lowest gear. So now you must try to keep up the cadence and pedal sitting down (standing takes more energy). To minimize the chance of knee damage you want to keep the cadence above 50 rpm. If you can't keep pedal speed up sitting you have two choices, stand and ';grind it out'; or get off an walk. If you stand you can use your whole body weight to push down on the pedals, but cadence will drop off and speed will drop. You must be prepared to dismount should your speed get too low.
If you have a multi speed bike the technique is a bit different. Basically, you downshift fairly early to a gear that you think will allow you to maintain a reasonable cadence (60-70 rpm minimum). This may be a much lower gear than is available to you on a 3-speed. If the objective is just to get up the hill, many people use their lowest gear and they just take it easy ';spinning'; up the hill. On the other hand if the aim is to get up and over as quickly as possible, riders will only shift into lower gears as necessary in the early part of the hill and won't go into a lower gear than necessary at any point. Again, the aim is to maintain cadence (but not risk overstressing the geartrain by waiting too long to shift).
As you do more riding hills will get a bit easier ... and you can get stronger by working hard on smaller hills and gradual slopes ... but long steep hills are an issue for all but the ';born'; hill-climbers (you know ... the 140 lb, 5' 8'; fly on the multi-speed road bike. For mere mortals like me at 6'2'; and 200 lbs (and I suspect you), particularly if on a heavier/under-geared bike hills will always be hard work. That said, with proper technique and some determination you can make it up most hills without suffering too badly.
Hope that helps.
You want to climb those hills with a high cadence and a lite pedal pressure. If I know that I am going to have to down shift more I go to the smallest chain ring early. If I am on the center ring on the front and #2 on the rear I will do a double shift and go to #1 on the front and #3 on the rear. That drops you one gear and gives you two more. It's easier to down shift on the rear and you won't lose as much momentum. You want a gear that is easy to pedal and you can accelerate in if you need to. Pedaling too slow and hashing on the pedals will use your fast twitch muscles that use glycogen as a fuel and produce lactic acid which is the burning sensation.
Actually you want to do as much of the ride at a high cadence using your slow twitch muscles as you can. Save your fast twitch muscles for the top of the hill if needed. The more you ride the stronger you will get and the smaller that hill will get.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar…
Well, what I like to do is to get speed before the hill so my momentum can carry me partway up easily. Make sure you breathe, sounds stupid but it helps. Before it gets too hard pedaling, shift to a higher gear. I don't know if your bike is a double or triple chainring, but many people like to use the granny gear on super steep hills- that's the smallest gear on the triple ring. I totally know how you feel though. When I'm going up hills, I always feel like I'm going to cramp, so make sure you stretch, eat bananas, and granola bars, and drink plenty of water.
After a circuit of nine kilometres I came to climb a quite steep hill.
I approached the hill at a speed of 17km/h, had to change gear to second “Sprocket” the middle one
Soon after this I had to change the rear sprockets to the biggest one to have an easy climb.
By the time I reached the top I was in agony.
I am sure that there must be a skill to tackle these climbs. But the question is, how?
Please need your advice. Many thanks.
TAHow to deal with steep climbs?
G-man has a good answer, As you approach a climb downshift the crank (ring) gears first before the load gets heavy or you stand a good chance of ';chain-suck'; where the chain will not drop to the next lower chain ring. As the climb goes on downshift the rear gears to keep your cadence up, once your cadence drops a lot and you start grinding at a low rpm the climb just gets harder, so the best rule is shift and shift as often as needed to maintain a good cadence. As G-man posted better to finish slow than walk. If this is a trail that you ride often you will eventually find a way to carry as much momentum to the base of the climb and what gears you need to be in, I've seen a lot of riders over the years come to a steep climb and just a few yards before slow down and down shift way to early and into too low a gear, all that does is make the climb last longer.
EDIT: Just fuel for thought, if you want to see how well you are doing get a heart rate monitor, when climbing you can use this to monitor your effort and how hard you can push the pace.How to deal with steep climbs?
You did the right move just need more riding to get used to harder climbs that is my goal this year so regular riding would be a lot easier .
A suggestion... the object is to climb the grade isn't it? If a rider goes too hard at the bottom of a long climb he/she may end up giving out before the top. An old timer cyclist gave me this advice some time ago... do your downshifting at the bottom of the climb. Get into a nice easy pace that you'll be able to maintain for the entire climb and stay at that pace. You won't get to the top first but you will get to the top without becoming completely spent or... worse yet, having to get off and walk the last few yards.
If you follow this advice, you may not be the first one to get to the top but there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that will get there without all that agony you mentioned. I've successfully used his advice over the past 10 years of cycling and am proud to say that I've never not made it on a climb. While not usually the first one to the top, I've never had to walk it up or just given up because of overdoing it at the bottom. The secret is pacing yourself.
As far as the training angle goes, save those all out efforts for use on the smaller climbs that you know you can handle and your performance will continue to improve over time but gear it down a bit on those really steep grades.
G-Man and that old timer has it exactly right, follow there advice and you should have any problems. Good answer G-man.
Carry as much speed into the hill as you can. When you can't keep up the cadence any more, then shift down A LOT into a gear where you can keep the cadence that you entered with. Stay seated. Spin your way up the hill. You will get to the top faster in the long run, and still have energy left. Think of it this way: Would you rather lift a 2 pound weight 200 times or a 200 pound weight twice?
Don't try to emulate the pros you see on TV dancing on the pedals up incredible climbs. The average person can't do even half of what those guys do. That's why they are professionals. Sometimes I think they are a different species, nothing but legs, lungs, and heart.
HTH
i'm assuming since you are measuring distances, you are talking about road. i'm a mountain biker, but same principles apply. take g-man's advice, it's about the cadence. in mountain biking especially, always shift before the climb, this will help you keep a steady pace while you spin on the saddle and it will also protect your chain from jerky movements. if it's a short climb, take it with speed and muscle your way through. as far as the ';agony,'; it's always going to hurt, it's about being prepared for the pain that makes the difference....practice, practice, practice.
a. shift before the hill - it;s hard on your bike to shift under heavy strain - plus it may not shift at all if you pedal too hard - or the chain may come off and you go down
b. if there is no traffic and you can;t shift - zigzag - gives you less of a grade
c. you don;t say if ';second “Sprocket” the middle one'; is the smallest front or not - use the smallest front and biggest rear
d. other than that, the only skill is just do it
wle
There is no universal answer. Every hill is a bit different. You don't mention the length of the hill and that (plus the steepness) determine how you should handle it. Your bike must also be considered. And finally, it matters whether you want to get up as quickly as possible or simply make it to the top. I'll assume the aim is getting up, not racing.
That said, if a hill is fairly short and steep you can potentially ';power'; up it if you have enough momentum when starting the climb. Basically, you would accelerate as you approach the hill, but shift down as you go up, so as to maintain a reasonable cadence.
But it sounds like you are a) riding a three-speed bike , and b) it is a longish hill.
The type of bike doesn't change the basic strategy (but it does limit your options somewhat). If you know you are going to have to use your lowest gear well before the top, there is no point in attacking the hill, but neither do you want to waste momentum either. So pedal ';normally'; as you reach the hill, and as momentum bleeds off shift to your next lower gear and the next as necessary, but being sure to switch before the going gets really tough. The idea is that you don't want to have to shift too late ... i.e. ';under load'; ... since this can lead to problems (even falling off the bike), but you don't want to shift too soon since this wastes momentum. If in doubt shift early. The key is to try to maintain pedal cadence ... that's your guide and you use gears to achieve it.
If you have a 3-speed bike you will quickly be in your lowest gear. So now you must try to keep up the cadence and pedal sitting down (standing takes more energy). To minimize the chance of knee damage you want to keep the cadence above 50 rpm. If you can't keep pedal speed up sitting you have two choices, stand and ';grind it out'; or get off an walk. If you stand you can use your whole body weight to push down on the pedals, but cadence will drop off and speed will drop. You must be prepared to dismount should your speed get too low.
If you have a multi speed bike the technique is a bit different. Basically, you downshift fairly early to a gear that you think will allow you to maintain a reasonable cadence (60-70 rpm minimum). This may be a much lower gear than is available to you on a 3-speed. If the objective is just to get up the hill, many people use their lowest gear and they just take it easy ';spinning'; up the hill. On the other hand if the aim is to get up and over as quickly as possible, riders will only shift into lower gears as necessary in the early part of the hill and won't go into a lower gear than necessary at any point. Again, the aim is to maintain cadence (but not risk overstressing the geartrain by waiting too long to shift).
As you do more riding hills will get a bit easier ... and you can get stronger by working hard on smaller hills and gradual slopes ... but long steep hills are an issue for all but the ';born'; hill-climbers (you know ... the 140 lb, 5' 8'; fly on the multi-speed road bike. For mere mortals like me at 6'2'; and 200 lbs (and I suspect you), particularly if on a heavier/under-geared bike hills will always be hard work. That said, with proper technique and some determination you can make it up most hills without suffering too badly.
Hope that helps.
You want to climb those hills with a high cadence and a lite pedal pressure. If I know that I am going to have to down shift more I go to the smallest chain ring early. If I am on the center ring on the front and #2 on the rear I will do a double shift and go to #1 on the front and #3 on the rear. That drops you one gear and gives you two more. It's easier to down shift on the rear and you won't lose as much momentum. You want a gear that is easy to pedal and you can accelerate in if you need to. Pedaling too slow and hashing on the pedals will use your fast twitch muscles that use glycogen as a fuel and produce lactic acid which is the burning sensation.
Actually you want to do as much of the ride at a high cadence using your slow twitch muscles as you can. Save your fast twitch muscles for the top of the hill if needed. The more you ride the stronger you will get and the smaller that hill will get.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar…
Well, what I like to do is to get speed before the hill so my momentum can carry me partway up easily. Make sure you breathe, sounds stupid but it helps. Before it gets too hard pedaling, shift to a higher gear. I don't know if your bike is a double or triple chainring, but many people like to use the granny gear on super steep hills- that's the smallest gear on the triple ring. I totally know how you feel though. When I'm going up hills, I always feel like I'm going to cramp, so make sure you stretch, eat bananas, and granola bars, and drink plenty of water.
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