Using a double, coming from a triple

[Kookas]

Do I change from the small ring to the big ring once I'm halfway through the cassette?

How do you accelerate from a stop? Upshift the rear until gear 4, then shift up on the front, and then continue to shift up at the rear?

(It's 9spd Sora. 32-11, 50-34)

 

[JoeyB]

You make it sound so technical! Just push the pedals round! lol

 

[Kookas]

You make it sound so technical! Just push the pedals round! lol

It's because on my first ride with it, I kept catching myself cross chaining with the small ring and the small sprockets (because I'm used to just using the middle ring on my triple).

 

[shouldbeinbed]

roughly yes, doubles are a bit more forgiving soundwise and in feel if you've overcrossed the chain but it's not.good form and wears the moving bits more quickly. I find I enjoy a double more as it makes me think harder about my gear selections and keeps me focussed, in a triple I get lazy, stick it in the middle ring and cruise mentally as well as physically.

academic at the mo my roadie is out on loan.

 

[Kookas]

roughly yes, doubles are a bit more forgiving soundwise and in feel if you've overcrossed the chain but it's not.good form and wears the moving bits more quickly. I find I enjoy a double more as it makes me think harder about my gear selections and keeps me focussed, in a triple I get lazy, stick it in the middle ring and cruise mentally as well as physically.

academic at the mo my roadie is out on loan.

How fast can you potentially move off from a stop then - can you still get some good acceleration going? On my first ride I found I'd often start quite slowly from a stop, though that was mostly because I had no idea what I was doing with the gears (especially given that my triple also had thumb shifters instead of second levers).

I always liked the triple as a commuter, because I could often be gone from traffic lights before drivers in adjacent lanes had even noticed the lights were green. That was loads of fun at light-controlled roundabouts.

 

[Garethgas]

With a

It's because on my first ride with it, I kept catching myself cross chaining with the small ring and the small sprockets (because I'm used to just using the middle ring on my triple).

You only have a choice of two front rings. As you approach a stop, you should anticipate what gear you'll need next.
Surely that would mean small chainring and a reasonably large cassette ring?
I tend to slow down well before a stop, get into the 'right' gear then slowly mosey on up to the stop line.
Of course, if it's your first outing, it might just be a matter of practice.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I'm not a fast rider but set yourself up into a comfortable for you starting gear as you come to a stop or slow down round a sharp bend and you can flick pretty quickly and smoothly through as you accelerate. You can have the chain going both ends simultaneously if you overcook it and need to drop the front cog a for a mo to keep revs and momentum whilst pushing the rear up another one. Its more anticipation and precision with a double to get the chain singing but lovely when you get it right. Best bet is some nice quiet miles where you can just focus on playing with the gears and practicing moves without worrying about the commute.

 

[Kookas]

I'm not a fast rider but set yourself up into a comfortable for you starting gear as you come to a stop or slow down round a sharp bend and you can flick pretty quickly and smoothly through as you accelerate. You can have the chain going both ends simultaneously if you overcook it and need to drop the front cog a for a mo to keep revs and momentum whilst pushing the rear up another one. Its more anticipation and precision with a double to get the chain singing but lovely when you get it right. Best bet is some nice quiet miles where you can just focus on playing with the gears and practicing moves without worrying about the commute.

Thanks, a bit of time to practise would definitely help.

 

[totallyfixed]

Do I change from the small ring to the big ring once I'm halfway through the cassette?

How do you accelerate from a stop? Upshift the rear until gear 4, then shift up on the front, and then continue to shift up at the rear?

(It's 9spd Sora. 32-11, 50-34)

Strictly speaking that is not a double, it is a compact. A double in my book has a minimum of 39t inner, 42 is much better though as you don't need to worry so much about changing up to the big chainring. Quite why the trend has been to increase the big chainring on a standard double from 52t to 53t is beyond me, way too big for most unless you are racing or TT'ing.

 

[Dusty Bin]

It's a double in the sense that it's a double chainset, as opposed to a triple. The difference is either in compact double, or standard double...

 

[totallyfixed]

It's a double in the sense that it's a double chainset, as opposed to a triple. The difference is either in compact double, or standard double...

Thank you so much for putting me right.

 

[potsy]

I had similar doubts when I got my first ever 'double' last year, being a middle-ringer for most of my riding I was initially unsure as to how I would find it.
Soon became clear that for me staying on the big ring was best when starting off and just making sure I shifted down a couple of gears on the cassette before I came to a stop was enough for a relatively smooth getaway.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I had similar doubts when I got my first ever 'double' last year, being a middle-ringer for most of my riding I was initially unsure as to how I would find it.
Soon became clear that for me staying on the big ring was best when starting off and just making sure I shifted down a couple of gears on the cassette before I came to a stop was enough for a relatively smooth getaway.

Same here. Having had my first and only road bike for a bit over a year now, I'm relatively new to doubles also. They tend to be fairly flexible in the sprocket combinations, so long as you don't do any extreme cross-chaining, e.g. small front and small rear ring.

Nice avatar, by the way .

 

[Stonechat]

I had similar doubts when I got my first ever 'double' last year, being a middle-ringer for most of my riding I was initially unsure as to how I would find it.
Soon became clear that for me staying on the big ring was best when starting off and just making sure I shifted down a couple of gears on the cassette before I came to a stop was enough for a relatively smooth getaway.

Yes I find that too

 

[boydj]

I think Potsy has got it right. I tend to stay in the big ring unless I know the bit of road is mainly uphill. Just make sure you go down a cog or two to a gear you can take off on.