How to Shift Gears on a Mountain Bike

The bike used for mountain biking has undergone tremendous changes. Its strength increased and weight decreased. Its appearance became sleek and trendy. Also, the number of gears increased substantially. Most of the latest models of mountain bikes have as many as 27 gears. So, changing gears has become difficult, especially those who are new to this adventurous sport. One may not be sure whether the gear has actually been changed to the intended gear or not. The question how to shift gears on a mountain bike has become one of the most sought after section in mountain biking tutorials.

It is natural that one might wonder what on earth a mountain bike needs that many gears. Each gear is for riding at optimum speed on a particular type of terrain. It is common for a mountain bike rider to experience various kinds of terrains: hilly, wet, dry, steep slope, rough, stone filled, you name it. One-type-fits-all-kind of gears will not work here since speed is an important factor in the equation for competition victory. So, for getting maximum and optimum speed, one should learn how to shift gears on a mountain bike.

The problem with specialized gears for specific terrain is that if you change to a wrong gear, the result may be embarrassing and sometimes dangerous. Here are some tips to properly change gears on a mountain bikes when you go uphill from a plane. When you start climbing the slope, you do not need to change the gears. You can use the same gear and try to run up the slope with as much speed as possible. Once you find it difficult to pedal, you can shift gears. When you change gears, do not instantly change to the gear that would give you maximum speed when you go up a hill. Instead, change the gear to an easy and slow mode. The emphasis here is not on speed, but spending less energy.

Once you reach a flat surface or a surface with a downward slope, you can change to fast gears again. Again, change to a slower gear when you reach a steep slope. The procedure repeats when your reach the flat surface again. The important lesson in the guide to how to shift gears in a mountain bike is to slow down by applying brake when you enter a different type of terrain. Shift the gear accordingly only after becoming comfortable with riding.

There are different types of gear system used in mountain bikes. How to shift gear on a mountain bike actually depends on the kind of gear system you have got. For riding down the slope, gear system with a front socket is ideal. But for going up the hill, a back socket gear system is generally considered good.

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