IMKY13 finish!!
Okay, another question from a newbie (I apologize for all the questions). I know that you are not supposed to shift when under a load (i.e. going up a hill). So, I see the hill ahead and drop into a lower (or is it higher) gear getting ready for the hill….at that point I feel like I am just spinning/pedaling like crazy before I actually start going up the hill. What do y’all usually do? Thanks!!
Fitness/weight goals for 2014
1) STAY INJURY FREE!!!
2) Get to 189 lbs by the end of July 2014...and stay there (as of 4-25-14 was at 203 lbs)
3) Complete Ironman Chattanooga in under 14 hours
4) Break 4 hours in a stand alone marathon (Goal race=Rocket City 12/13/14)
5) 4,500 total overall miles for the year:
Swim: 100 miles
Bike: 3,000 miles
Run: 1,400 miles
You want to avoid shifting under "heavy" load.
If your climbing you want to shift before it starts getting too difficult. Just as you feel yourself to slow down and the effort increase a bit is when you want to shift. Don't stop pedaling and don't slow down your candence. Depending on your timing or the grade you may have to double shift. It's also not uncommon to shift 3 or 4 times in just a few yards.
If your not mashing your pedals then don't worry about "shifting under load".
Shifting too soon you'll find yourself spinning out and waiting for the bike to slow down to "catch" up to your cadence or your cadence slows down waitng for the bike because your about to throw yourself out of your seat. Shifting to late and the bike becomes too hard to pedal and will cause you to get out of your seat to accelerate.
I like hills...I excel on hills and this is where I pass most people. I'm a pedal masher and can power my way up. I get into trouble if I miss judge the hill or the grade and how much I can do. If I run out of steam I'm needing to downshift quite a bit and it's going to get done underload.
Shifting out of the front gears underload is where you may throw a chain. Shifting the rear gears underload you may get some skipping. This is because of bike flex. This is one reasons why climbers like good stiff bikes.
Group rides and watching (listening) to what other experienced riders are doing is a good way to learn your timing.
Keep coming with the questions ! They're good ones.
Thanks Steve!!! I really appreciate the useful information. I need to get out there & do some group rides...thats where I'll learn a lot too.
Team HTFU NCTR Driver
Well, you CAN shift under load - it just makes a lot of noise, and if you're ever going to have a chain fail that's when it's gonna happen. The trick is to back off the pressure on the drivetrain for a moment to give it a chance to move the chain. You have to be in a situation where you have enough momentum to do this, too - if you're standing up mashing at 4 mph it ain't gonna work, but if you're shifting from standing and mashing at 12 and you want to sit down and get your cadence up, you should be able to.
If your drivetrain is well tuned, you should only have to back off for maybe 1 revolution of the cranks...
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