Gears query

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
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belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

Thought I would take all my "technical" questions over to here in one fell swoop.

Twist shifters on my bike are rather sticky, I have to put a lot of oompf into changing gears which makes me veer all over the place (they are a pig to change gears even when the cable is removed). I've never used twist-shifters before so my instinct was to switch to trigger shifters anyway. Followed a massive confusion over whether the shifters would be compatible or not. Questions are:
FD - will the front chainrings/shifters generally be road? Brucey suggests so, so I am inclined to believe him - my only query is that I didn't think there was such a thing as a road twist-shifter. Also, having not ridden with gears at the front for ~15 years, is it normal that you have to make a two-push or two-click change to change gear?
Shifter position - I find that my hands move naturally to be centre of the bars, on top of my brake levers (index fingers over the cable leaving the brakes) - is this an indication of a too low stem? I think I've seen headcam footage of other people riding like this. What would be the best shifter type/position for this? I am re-considering twist shifters (if I could find some good ones that are compatible) as they do shift in the right place (using base of hand and little finger).
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
recumbentpanda
Posts: 286
Joined: 6 Apr 2009, 12:13pm

Re: Gears query

Post by recumbentpanda »

I too suffered from ‘unwanted steering input’ when using twist shifters on my OSS Nazca Fuego, so switched to triggers with happy results. On my more upright LWB Linear with USS, twisters were fine.

One click on either system should correspond to one gear. Different makers systems pull different amounts of cable, so you need shifters and mechs to be compatible. Sounds like you have unmatched components?

Recumbent gearing tends to be borrowed from mountain bikes, but a lot will depend on the type of bent and who built it/modified it.

Hands on top of the brakes/shifters on OSS ‘hamster bar’ type set ups seems to be a common thing. The very short ‘arrowhead’ style v-shaped bars is the only way round this, but then you are stuck with just the one hand position. On longer rides it’s good to be able to move hands around a bit. I have pondered making some kind of handrests to clip on top of shifter/brake bodies.

Hope this helps
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[XAP]Bob
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Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Gears query

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Front shifters often have several 'clicks' per gear - to allow for trimming of position as you move across the rear cassette.

I've got the arrow head bars on my raptobike, and either put my hands on the grips, which is pretty much neutral, but they do have to hang on slightly (need to maintain a curve to my fingers) or have them over the 'point' of the arrow head, slightly further from my thumb brake levers, but entirely neutral position - no stress on them at all - can ride like that for hours without any need to change position.

Grab a photo of the derailleur and the shifter, then we can actually tell what you have and what would be compatible. Or take it to a LBS and they'll do the same.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
OldBloke
Posts: 137
Joined: 15 Jul 2014, 3:34am

Re: Gears query

Post by OldBloke »

belgiangoth,

It would help to know
- what sort of bars?
- underseat, overseat?
- brand of rear derailleur, how many speed, road or mountain?


Shimano MTB 9(?), 10 and 11 speeds have a different pull ratio to road and SRAM.

OB
recumbentpanda
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Joined: 6 Apr 2009, 12:13pm

Re: Gears query

Post by recumbentpanda »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Front shifters often have several 'clicks' per gear - to allow for trimming of position as you move across the rear cassette.


I did not know that! Limited experience of indexed mtb set-ups I guess, all mine have been single click. Not so useful a feature I imagine, on a recumbent with long chain lines, and / or chain tubes. (FWD Raptobike a bit different on that score, does it have a use there?)
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[XAP]Bob
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Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Gears query

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Even less use on a rapto - or anything with an idler...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: Gears query

Post by Tigerbiten »

Since I've had my bent trike, I've always gone friction shift on the front and indexed shift on the back.

That way I can match the front mech to the size of the big chainring without the hassle of also matching the front mech cable pull to the lever.
This make it easier to run a silly wide range on the chainrings at the front.
You'll soon get used to how much you need to shift the lever to change gear.
belgiangoth
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Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

I remember learning gears before indexing, you just listened for the shift. Reckon it might be easier for the front mech.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

OldBloke wrote:belgiangoth,
It would help to know
- what sort of bars?
- underseat, overseat?
- brand of rear derailleur, how many speed, road or mountain?
OB

This:
Imageimage by belgiangoth, on Flickr
Rear is a Deore 9Mega, front is Tiagra. So should be front:road, rear:MTB; should work with 3x10 road shifters though.
Picture is with microshifters in place (to see how they look/feel) instead of the twist-shifters. Both came with the bike.
I think I shall fit and try the right hand microshift, but if it's anything like the left hand one (too much force to shift) then I will need to consider an alternative, either second-hand deore for the back OR some new, better running twist-shifters.
I may even consider servicing the twist shifters I have, but I hear that's hard and they have seen better days.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

belgiangoth wrote:Shifter position - I find that my hands move naturally to be centre of the bars, on top of my brake levers (index fingers over the cable leaving the brakes) - is this an indication of a too low stem? I think I've seen headcam footage of other people riding like this.

Found it!
http://mccraw.co.uk/recumbent-attribution-error/
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

belgiangoth wrote:FD - will the front chainrings/shifters generally be road? Brucey suggests so, so I am inclined to believe him - my only query is that I didn't think there was such a thing as a road twist-shifter. Also, having not ridden with gears at the front for ~15 years, is it normal that you have to make a two-push or two-click change to change gear?

Is the advantage of road mechs for laidbacks the range of chainrings that they can use? Unless you use USS the chances are you'll be using flar bar shifters, which means trigger or twist, how does that work with a road mech? Unless of course you go Campag or SRAM? (Campag only do road and have branched out into flat-bar; don't SRAM pull the same on road and MTB, or is it only at the rear?)
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Trikeyohreilly
Posts: 448
Joined: 16 Dec 2010, 6:06pm

Re: Gears query

Post by Trikeyohreilly »

It seems I have inadvertently dodged some complicated gear syncing issues. Maybe not with those bars (although SJSC sell a straight bar mount, or used to) but I find bar end shifters, both on friction mode work so ergonomically and intuitively that nothing else comes close. I am though USS.
belgiangoth
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Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Gears query

Post by belgiangoth »

Have sorted my gears and even managed a 5 mile round trip. There was quite a faff with front mech and it is still a pig to shift with the trigger shifters. I may revert to twist shifters, or change the mech/shifter to MTB and accept a smaller top front chainring (I go fast enough down hill without pedaling anyway).
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Gears query

Post by Brucey »

it would help to know what cable pull you have in your shifters; indexed shifters generally won't work with road and MTB type FDs.

A simple solution might be to use a thumbshifter, or bar-end shifter on a special bracket.

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OldBloke
Posts: 137
Joined: 15 Jul 2014, 3:34am

Re: Gears query

Post by OldBloke »

belgiangoth wrote:Have sorted my gears and even managed a 5 mile round trip. There was quite a faff with front mech and it is still a pig to shift with the trigger shifters. I may revert to twist shifters, or change the mech/shifter to MTB and accept a smaller top front chainring (I go fast enough down hill without pedaling anyway).


BG

If the trigger shifter is stiff, have you check that the cable inner moves freely and that the front mech swings easily. Either may need lubricating or replacing.

OB
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