# Mountain bike shifting tips



## Deanomag (Jun 16, 2012)

I have never seen any training videos or threads that talk about shifting techniques/tips/strategies.

I've heard 'soft pedaling' is important when shifting, but have never seen any training videos or other threads mention this. Is that because it is such common knowledge?

I am pretty much brand new, last time I rode regularly was when I was a kid. Now, I have a brand new REI Novara Matador with X0 twist shifters and an X0 rear derrailleur. I upgraded the components because, from the very start, any time I shifted the rear under even moderate load I would get horrible slipping. Sometimes at our local single track, I would get caught slowing up a hill I hadn't planned far enough ahead for and when 'panic' shifting down to a harder gear, my chain would slip around the cassette sometimes by as much as half or 3/4 a rotation on my crank. This would leave me with no momentum and walking my way up the rest of the incline.

I would try this on level ground and found that I could get it to duplicate when cranking hard during a down shift. And this is still happening after I upgraded the components.

Is this normal? Are there shifting techniques that I need to know about that I am missing, is the LBS that built the bike (REI) missing something on the install/tune, do I need to check if there is a bad component (chain, cable, hanger), or do I need to stop whining and just get out there and learn how to work my bike the best way possible?

Thanks for your help and suggestions . . .


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## Shibby (Jan 13, 2004)

Upgrading components won't help if the drivetrain isn't dialed in correctly. Also, on a new bike, the shifter cables will stretch a bit, requiring further tweaking.

It looks like your bike originally had X5/7 components - unless damaged, these should be able to function just fine. Even baseline derailleurs/shifters should be able to shift properly if dialed in correctly. I've only seen systemic issues on [email protected] department store bikes or bent derailleurs. Also, if your cables are sticking, this can cause problems.

In general, shift down just before you need to (ie: while you still have momentum) - hard shifts make me cringe; sounds awful. If I'm stuck in a spot where I didn't downshift in advance, I'll power through a couple of pedal strokes to build a bit of speed, then soft-pedal through the shift (ie: sort of coast through the shift).


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Basically you set-up the drive train so it works properly.

Then you need to estimate what front chain ring you are gonna want to ride the "obstacle, hill" in.

Then you can shift the rear under fairly heavy load.....you can't shift muliple gears under load, you have to go one click at a time....

Sometimes it is better to grab a handful with the load right off....sometimes it is better to click one at a time with some load on....

It becomes a real art.


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## Sandrenseren (Dec 29, 2011)

While proper adjustment of the gears help, it's still tricky to shift while going uphill. 

Your best choice is picking the right gear before you reach the hill. Once you get familiar with tracks you'll know which gears work for a particular hill. When riding up hills you haven't done previously it's generally better to go a bit too light rather than a bit too heavy....however sometimes you just end up in the wrong gear for the hill anyway. 

Shifting under heavy load is bad, you'll get awful crunchy noises and might get "chain suck" where the whole thing just locks up. 

If you hit that new hill and discover that the gear is all wrong, it's better to shift as soon as possible while you still have a bit of forward momentum without having to pop a blood-vessel stomping the pedals. Once you get to that point where you absolutely can't push the pedals anymore it's way too late. So the instant you get that "whoa, bad choice of gear"-sensation, go easy on the pedals and shift while you still have some speed left.

Another option is to stick with the heavy gear, stand up and power through. Standing up you can usually pedal a much heavier gear than sitting down, so standing might just save you from being in the wrong gear. 

If you ride those wide fire roads you can take a load of while shifting by crossing the fire road horizontally, a couple of yards going from the right edge of the road to the left edge can be just what you need to get the shifting done.

Finally a neat trick. Sometimes when you come rolling down a hill and hit that steep uphill you'll hit your front shifter a couple of times in panic to get to "the granny ring". Occasionally you chain will end up on the crank box rather than the granny ring. Once your bike comes to a halt, turn it and roll slowly downhill while you pedal slowly and work the front shifter, normally the front shifter will pull your chain back on that way without you getting oily fingers.


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## dsintov (Apr 13, 2010)

if you are going from downhill or flat to a steep incline you will loose momentum very fast and shifting the rear 1 click at a time wont lower your gears fast enough.what i do is hit the grade with the chain on the largest front ring and the rear in a gear that allows me to spin the pedals faster than i would normally like,then once i slow down while still having some momentum i will drop the front to the smaller ring the same time i shift the rear 2 clicks with very little power and that will reduce the gear ratio enough that i am spinning the pedals really fast again and if i am still slowing down i will do the same thing again and by then i will be in one of the lowest gears and if i still cant maintain speed,even standing and cranking on the pedals i get ready to get off the bike.
and by the way if you are in the lowest gear and cant power up then the grade is so steep you will have to worry about traction,both on and off the bike.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Lots of tldr replies here.

I have two things that I may or may not be adding.  (Well, three. Punctuation and paragraph breaks, people!)

First, you need to anticipate. Even with really nice parts. High-end drivetrains require less anticipation, but they're not magic.

Second, you can't shift the front under heavy load, and it's more marginal on the back. High-end drivetrains are more tolerant of this stuff but they're not magic. Shifting under load can even break your chain, which is a bummer.


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## scorchedearth (Aug 30, 2011)

I usually use the 'soft pedalling' technique you are describing. If I didn't anticipate the change in time, I try to pedal hard to gain some speed, then quickly remove the load from the pedals, shift, and to pedal lightly through the shift. I feel it out and rarely perform a hard shift doing the above.

It takes a little finesse but can be done.


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