Hi A Cyclist,
Just 4 days back i bought a Hercules canyon. I am starting cycling after a decade and also this is my first geared cycle. Now i am just learning how to shift gears properly.
While shifting gears i am facing the following issues:
1. Frequently rear derailleur misses gear. Say, i push the gear lever to downshift from 7 to 6. But the chain will not shift from 7th to 6th, it will stay in 7th. If i push the gear lever again the chain will shift from 7th to 5th missing the 6th slot. While up shifting no issue.
2. When i push the from derailleur gear to up shift from 2nd to 3rd chain ring, the stiffing is not at all smooth. It gives a huge jerk and noise and the bike losses its stability.
Please help me out
(Request: while replying please bear in mind that this is my first geared cycle and i am a newbie)
Really glad to know that you started cycling again. 3 Cheers to that:) And congratulations on your bike. A lot of smiles ahead of you and respect from others.
And thank you @Badri.j for some really handy points and the video. Cheers to that as well.
When comes to shifting gears, miss shifting happens a lot and for several reasons.
#could be the chain assembly or the derailleur is dirty
if this is the case, a quick service at the local shop will help. Or you can do DIY.
#Gear cables are weak
this usually happens when you have crossed 800-1000KMs of riding, (again depends on the types of cycles as well) which definitely is not the case with your bike as you mentioned you just bought 4 days back. If this happens, i recon replacement of the cables.
#and the most common reason-human error
This happens to almost all riders at all levels. First timers/experience riders.
Since, you are riding the geared bicycle for the first time, missed shifting happens a lot as you need to first understand the mechanism shifting the gears. (Badi.j's points explains here).
Hercules Canyon has 21 gears in total. 3 on the front and 7 on the back. Normally, front gears are on the left side and the back gears are on the right side.
Here are some tips from my personal experience:
# Do not shift gears very often.
# Try 2(front)-4(back) gear combination for most city rides. But again, if you feel heaviness when pedaling, lower the front gear to 1. Or if you want faster speed, increase the back gear to 5,6 or 7. But as you gain more experience, you can play around with any gear shifting.
#
While shifting gears, stop pedaling for 2 seconds and shift. This will shift the gears smoothly and also avoids chain getting stuck.
# For steep uphill climb, lower all the gears and pedal slowly. Maintain at 5 km/hr speed and keep pedaling. Find the rhythm, avoid sudden pedaling as it will drain your energy very quickly.
# For speeding on tarmac road, use 7*3 gear combination (highest gears)
# For long distance rides, use 2*4 or 5 combination.
# Always wear protective gears
Hope this helps. And let me know if you have more questions.
Happy riding:)