Bicycle Gears

At one time, bicycle racers did not believe in multi-geared bikes. But Velocio, who invented the derailleur, thought of a test to prove them wrong. He challenged a champion racer to a race in the mountains with a young woman. The champion had a single-speed bike; the woman a three-speed. The champion lost.

All bicycles nowadays have gears, except for really low end bikes and certain specialized "single-speed" bicycles.

In a low gear, the pedals are easy to turn, but you have to spin very fast to get any speed up. In a high gear, the pedals are hard to turn, but you don't have to make them turn very fast to make the bicycle go fast. Low gear is normally used to travel up slopes and high gear is used to travel down slopes.

If you are a commuter, one way to protect your bicycle gearing system is to buy a gear case. Although you do not really need to protect your bicycle from weather elements in Singapore, it is still useful for preventing pants from getting dirty or damaged, if you wear long pants when riding. The sharp teeth of gears can even cut jeans.

Sheldon Brown has an excellent article on bicycle gearing system.

Some of his main points:

• Only change gear when pedalling forward.
  
• It is better to "spin" in low gear than to "push" in high gear
  
• With practice, spinning becomes easier
  

Beyond Singapore

There are three major hills which experienced cyclists usually climb in Malaysia: Genting Highlands, Fraser Hill, and Cameron Highlands. They form important stages in Tour de Langkawi.

See Ken Kifer's site for a detailed analysis on gearing if you plan to conquer any of these hills.