Struggling

[markemark]

Set the front one to the larger size for fast/flat/downhill. Or set it to the smaller one if uphill, off-road, you're feeling tired or just want to take it easy. Then unless there's a big change, leave it.

Adjust the right up/down to feel comfortable as you ride. Try and keep your legs at roughly the same speed. If it starts getting hard/too easy, adjust the right one only.

 

[FishFright]

Forget about the left shifter for now , leave the chain on the middle ring.

For the right lever try to remember that one way lever makes it easier and the other makes it faster.

This worked well when I was helping out youngsters with various issues and is pretty easy to remember.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Alex321]

Forget about the left shifter for now , leave the chain on the middle ring.

From his photo, that looks like a 2x setup, not a 3x

For the right lever try to remember that one way lever makes it easier and the other makes it faster.

And brifters (it is Claris drivetrain), so not one way or the other, but paddle (harder) or whole lever (easier), both being pushed inwards tio change.

 

[Dadam]

Thanks so much for your reply. To be honest both. I'm struggling to understand the complete set up.
It sounds so stupid but it's the levers. Remembering which side does what. It's very embarrassing to be honest but if people on here carnt help then nobody can

I reckon what you're struggling with here has been second nature for most of the posters here for so long that they aren't getting the problem. I think I do relate though, being a relative newbie. While my brain understood that a the chain round a bigger ring up front makes pedalling harder while a bigger one at the back makes it easier, translating that knowledge into intuitively shifting the right way at the right time, took quite a bit of practice. It's like learning to drive, at first learning to coordinate all these new actions like clutch control etc seems overwhelming, but gradually with practice it gets imprinted into the neural pathways so you do it automatically.

Just keep at it, it will "click" before long and you'll realise you just shifted exactly right without consciously thinking about it. For now try to stick in one front ring (probably the big one unless it's all steep hills and you're struggling, in which case stick with the little one) and get the hang of shifting the rear up and down with your right hand, until you get to the point that you don't have to think too much. 90% of the time you'll be up and down using the rear only. Then only start to practice the front one once you've got the rear one down, don't try to get the hang of both at once.

 

[Alex321]

I reckon what you're struggling with here has been second nature for most of the posters here for so long that they aren't getting the problem. I think I do relate though, being a relative newbie. While my brain understood that a the chain round a bigger ring up front makes pedalling harder while a bigger one at the back makes it easier, translating that knowledge into intuitively shifting the right way at the right time, took quite a bit of practice. It's like learning to drive, at first learning to coordinate all these new actions like clutch control etc seems overwhelming, but gradually with practice it gets imprinted into the neural pathways so you do it automatically.

Yes. It is generally pretty well automatic wit me, but I still very occsaionally try to switch the wrong way, usually either on the front, or just after changing the front.

Just keep at it, it will "click" before long and you'll realise you just shifted exactly right without consciously thinking about it. For now try to stick in one front ring (probably the big one unless it's all steep hills and you're struggling, in which case stick with the little one) and get the hang of shifting the rear up and down with your right hand, until you get to the point that you don't have to think too much. 90% of the time you'll be up and down using the rear only. Then only start to practice the front one once you've got the rear one down, don't try to get the hang of both at once.

Absolutely this. Well over 90% of my gear changes are made with the rear, even with the amount of uphill we have round here. And front changes when they happen will usually stay on that ring for several minutes, while the gradient changes slightly often enough that it is rare to go much more than a minute between rear changes.

 

[Peter Salt]

Thanks so much for your reply. To be honest both. I'm struggling to understand the complete set up.
It sounds so stupid but it's the levers. Remembering which side does what. It's very embarrassing to be honest but if people on here carnt help then nobody can

Well... The 'big' lever always moves the chain on a bigger cog; the 'small' one on a smaller cog. Thing is, larger cog at the back makes an 'easier' gear; larger cog at the front makes a 'harder' gear.

Maybe think of a rhyme for it?

Righty biggie for a piggy?

Leftie small, when you feel the toll?

Something like that.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I've got back in the saddle after many years out of it. I am absolutely loving

That's great!
Try to focus on that!

I'm struggling to understand the complete set up.

Then, my completely non technical solution is to forget about the gears for a while.

Sure, it's not optimum but if you're new back on the bike after a long absence there's probably dozens of things that you need to be keeping an eye on and getting befuddled between left and right and probably looking down when you do won't help your enjoyment. People have cycled around the world on a single gear bike, you'll manage while you get comfy.

Then, when everything is more comfortable, reread @FishFright 's advice above and experiment slowly.

**If you're not 100% sure that the gears are working like they're supposed to, maybe you could ask a friend to take the bike for a spin? It's not unknown for some people to make a complete hames of such things and without knowing the provenance of your bike anything is possible.

Welcome & good luck!

 

[DRM]

View: https://youtu.be/L67pKpHGgE4?si=T6AiBGmw-tE15D-C

Have a watch of this, should explain all

 

[cyberknight]

View: https://youtu.be/L67pKpHGgE4?si=T6AiBGmw-tE15D-C

Have a watch of this, should explain all

thats good but they tend to go on about electric shifters
this one is more useful for the OP as its claris albeit with windows in the shifter for the model shown ?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w36wrsHOGr8

 

[gzoom]

X1

 

[simongt]

After returning to cycling after a many years gap and being used to hub gears, it took me a wee while to realise that with derailleur gears, keep pedalling whilst changing. Hubs, relax or stop the pedalling.