Bicycle gears that are 'bad'?

T

Tim H

New member
Is it true that you can only shift into gears which keep the chain straight? What I mean is, if you put your front spocket into the highest ring, you can only put the back sprocket into the lowest ring to keep the chain straight? (both these settings would make pedalling more difficult)

Or is it possible to have both sprockets on the highest ring (hard at front, easy at back)?
 
It is called cross chaining and it is bad for the chain and gears. You want to avoid using the smallest and largest gears at the same time. Most of the time you can hear the chain grinding against the gears at the extreme angles.

On a 7 speed cassette avoid using 5-7 with the smallest chain ring and 1-3 with the largest. Drop back to the center chain ring and pick the correct gear.
 
Your bicycle's chain should be designed to be able to handle all types of combinations. Normally, bikes with gear shifting capabilities have a rear deraileur, which helps keep the chain striaght and not possibly "falling off the gear" (which then causes you to fall).

To answer your two questions:
Is it true that you can only shift into gears which keep the chain straight?
No, you can shift into which ever gear you'd like, to help you conquer that hill.
Is it possible to have both 'sprockets' on the highest ring?
Yes, it is. Some use both high gears for the maximum constant speed during races.
 
My guideline for avoiding cross chaining is that I shouldn't hear the chain rubbing against the front derailleur. When I hear that I'm usually in the biggest ring and one of the larger cogs in the back. Shifting to a smaller ring and to a cog 2-3 sizes smaller gets me about the same "gear power" but without the noise.

HTH
 
It's true that running your chain on the extreme diagonal will wear your parts faster, and that doesn't mean you need to be scared to do it, it just means try to avoid it for the most part in order to keep the bike in the best possible condition. If you are in a situation where the best thing to do to keep your ride running smooth and quick is to run it crosswise, go for it. Anyone who tells you to 'never ever do that' is putting silly fears into your head. And despite the thumbs downs on the first answer, it's true that competitive people are more concerned about the ride than the condition of the drive-train - they won't impose those kinds of restrictions on themselves.
 
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