Shift up or shift down. Which is correct term?

[green1]

Buy a singlespeed and stop worrying!

I can't, I'm not 'hip' enough for ss or fixed...

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I can't, I'm not 'hip' enough for ss or fixed...

go for a rohloff hub then... looks like a single speed, has all the advantages of a single speed wrt maintenance & chain/sprocket life, you have gears that are sequential and the best bit is you can change gear whilst stationary... best of both worlds if you don't talk to your bank manager often!

 

[gaz]

pedal harder or pedal easier. None of this gear up or gear down confusion!

 

[totallyfixed]

Buy a singlespeed and stop worrying!

Exactly! But, and the confusion arises from the size of the sprockets on the cassette, looking at it without any knowledge of gear ratios, if you are for instance in a small rear sprocket [forget the front chainrings for now], and wish to spin a little quicker as for going up a hill, you shift up in size on the cassette but in gear ratios you are actually shifting down. This is where the confusion, [particularly with beginners] lies, so to clarify up the cassette is down and down the cassette is up .
I fact of course the front chainrings are much easier to understand as changing "down" is moving down to a smaller ring, you just have to switch your head around for the rear cassette. Can you tell I'm bored.

 

[Rob3rt]

Is this really the sort of dreck that people think about?

 

[Boris Bajic]

pedal harder or pedal easier. None of this gear up or gear down confusion!

You're just trying to confuse the issue!

 

[oldfatfool]

You change up for hills

In a car though you would say change down or select lower gear for hills, surely the same fora bike?

 

[Sittingduck]

Smaller sprocket = up

 

[DooDah]

Smaller sprocket = up

Agreed.

 

[HovR]

In a car though...

This is how I think of it too. In a car changing up a gear (i.e from 1 to 2) selects a higher gear ratio, allowing you to go faster for less revs of the engine. This same logic transfers well to a bike (except with revs of the engine being your cadence).

I can see how some people make the mistake though. In the past when following friends who are less experienced cyclists I have (accidentally) reccommended they change up a gear, when I actually mean to change down. It's an easy mistake to make as changing down a gear actually moves the chain to a cog higher up on the cassette.

 

[Psycolist]

I never know which way people are talking about. I use a reverse pull rear derailleur, I see terms of description as "top normal" and "low normal" Surely if its "top normal", the opposite should be "bottom normal" but even if it was, I still wouldnt know which one they were talking about

 

[DooDah]

I never know which way people are talking about. I use a reverse pull rear derailleur, I see terms of description as "top normal" and "low normal" Surely if its "top normal", the opposite should be "bottom normal" but even if it was, I still wouldnt know which one they were talking about

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr................................time for bed I think