What's the gearshift on a bike?
The gearbox is one of the great inventions that allows us to ride faster, climb mountains more easily, and have more fun. It converts the force of a person's foot on the pedals into the output of the wheel. In the process, the force generated by the muscles is generally constant, so the optimal pedal speed is required to achieve the highest output efficiency. Changing the gear system depending on the terrain and conditions allows you to ride more efficiently by keeping your output in optimum range.
Chain shift system
Most bicycles on the market today are equipped with transmission, and most of today's transmission systems have evolved into very simple, lightweight and efficient chain-shifting systems. The chain is moved up and down on the flywheel (a set of gears mounted on the rear wheel) by the rear chain shifter, forcing the chain up to a larger flywheel or down to a smaller flywheel for gear shifting. In general, the car will also have a front dialer for moving the chain between the tooth discs, which are part of the crank set.
The changes that a front-dial can make allow the gear system to have a larger range, to switch faster on high-speed, flat surfaces and uphill surfaces, and when you're riding on a surface that's less choppy, the movement on the flywheel allows you to select gears more accurately. Common gearshift systems have one to three gears and up to 12 flywheels (Campagnolo Ekar and Rotor exist with 13-speed flywheels) , providing you with a wide range of options.
Flower drum transmission system
For commuters and those who want to be sturdy and easy to maintain, a flower drum gearbox is a common choice. Generally speaking, the flower drum transmission system maintenance cycle of 3000 to 5000 km, very suitable for less maintenance of the people. The paddle-chained transmission is more exposed and more vulnerable to damage. The drum-mounted transmission wraps the gear system around the rear wheels, allowing you to ride with ease and without fear of damage, especially in the winter, can be effectively protected from the impact of natural disasters. Generally speaking, there are many brands and models of flower drum transmission system to choose from,
the most common are Shimano, SRAM, Sturmey-Archer and Rohloff. The internal gearbox is available in a range of gears from 3 to 14, regardless of your terrain. As far as the disadvantages are concerned, it is mainly a matter of weight. The flower drum contains a small gearbox, which also contains many metal parts, thus greatly increasing the weight. At the same time, the flower drum transmission system once tire maintenance is also very difficult.
Does a bike have a gearbox? What is a gearbox bike?
Part of the problem with the drum-gear system is that it adds weight to one end of the bike, which is likely to affect the control due to the center of gravity imbalance. But if you can integrate the gearbox directly into the frame, with the weight in the center of the bike and the passenger-car system, the crank drives the gearbox directly, and the power output is transferred through the gearbox and then through the chain to the rear wheels. So one of the most exciting inventions and developments in recent years has been the miniaturization of the electric-motor gearbox unit, but overall, this gearbox design remains a niche market in the bicycle industry. The gearbox is used in
conjunction with the flower drum transmission and belt drives, which require less maintenance than the chain, and generally do not use lubricants, meaning they are also much cleaner than the chain. When it comes to belt drives, because the belt is a continuous loop, unlike the chain can be disconnected from the middle, so the frame must be compatible with the belt, the need for rear triangular detachable, easy belt access.
What is an electronic kit?
Previously, multiple speeds on bicycles were driven by wire, which has an industrial name: the Bowden Line. Today, electronic transmissions are starting to become mainstream and are moving from competitive to more widespread. Electronic transmission system by electronic control motor instead of metal wire to shift, the main benefit is the consistency of the transmission, in general, the electronic system can shift gears accurately under all conditions, effectively eliminates the deformation of the wire over time. The downside, of course, is that
batteries need to be recharged and are currently expensive, but prices are slowly coming down. Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM all offer electronic transmission kits. Both SRAM's AXS ecosystem and Campagnolo Super Record Wireless offer Wireless control, eliminating the wired connection between the manual and transmission. Shimano's Di2 ecosystem is semi-wireless, with a wireless link between the manual and the transmission, but there's a wire that connects the front and back links to the battery.
What is a single-speed/fixed-tooth/dead-fly bike?
Of course, you can choose to have only one gear car, this is the origin of the bicycle. A single-speed bike has no gearshift and only a single flywheel or flower drum with ratchets that allow the rear wheels to rotate without moving the pedals. Fixed teeth are more basic, there is
no transmission at all, gears and drum for the hard link, flywheel or drum there is no ratchet structure in the middle, the car will move the pedals will rotate. The main advantages of this structure is simple structure, easy maintenance, low production costs, is now becoming a trend. However, in the case of the use of a slope is relatively troublesome, may not be able to overcome a very steep uphill, in the downhill is not easy to control.
How Do I use the gearbox on my bike?
There are many different designs on the market, and they may operate in slightly different ways, but overall the designs are fairly intuitive. Generally speaking, the front and rear gears are separated, located on the left and right side of the handlebars.
How to use a straight/mountain bike stick
Straight handlebars are common on electric motors, commuters, and mountain bikes, and there are several common gear-shift levers:
Finger shift
The most common and popular design is the finger-operated, which has two levers under the handlebars that can be operated with the thumb or forefinger: one for the upshift and one for the downshift. Depending on the design, it may or may not be possible to change multiple gears at once. Shimano also has some designs that integrate the shift and brake levers into a single unit.
Handle type gear shift lever
With a finger shift, you can usually only change gears one at a time, but with a knob transmission, you can change gears very quickly. The lever is integrated with the grip and can be twisted to shift up or down, much like the accelerator on a motorcycle.
How does the transmission work?
Gear inches
The transmission system converts the power input at the crank into the power output at the rear wheel. According to different gears, the same step frequency will have different speeds at the rear wheel. How far the bike moves in each step is usually described by Gear inches, or how many inches the bike will roll forward with each complete turn of the crank. There are a number of calculators and formulas for calculating this value based on wheel size, tire size, and disc/flywheel size. The gear diameter gives you a good idea of how easy it is to change gears, with 20-inch ranges for simple gears, 70-inch for medium gears, and 100-inch ranges for more difficult gears.
Range of gear
The gear range usually describes the percentage of the total range of variation provided by the system, i. e. 300% of the range will provide a 3:1 ratio. When pedaling in the top gear, each stroke moves three times as far forward as in the bottom gear. For an external drive system, the gear range can be calculated by multiplying the ratio of the maximum and minimum discs by the ratio of the maximum and minimum teeth on the flywheel. Flywheel specifications are usually determined by the smallest and largest pieces of gear. For example, a 11-28t flywheel would represent a flywheel with a minimum of 11 teeth and a maximum of 28 teeth. Road vehicles have a variety of crank groups, generally including standard disk, compression disk, super-compression disk and three disk versions. The three-piece version has three dental discs, and while this was once the most widely used dental disc type, it is now used mainly in station wagons and less in road vehicles, which require a wider range of speeds.
Today it is more common to have a crank set with two platters, standard at 53/39T, compressed and overcompressed at 52/36T or 50/34T. The standard disc has an advantage over the high-speed rider, while the compression disc has a larger range, suitable for most situations of high-speed riding and steep climbs, and if there are more slopes, there may be a need for a larger range, this is where the
hypercompressed crank set comes in. Mountain crank sets tend to use smaller discs to cope with steep and off-road terrain. Today, most mountain bikes and many gravel cars have a single tooth disc at the front that matches the super-wide flywheel at the back, a design called the 1x. To calculate the number of changes, simply multiply the number of teeth in front by the number of discs on the flywheel behind. The number of changes may be a bit of a misnomer, depending on the tooth disc/flywheel combination, there may be repetitions or some combinations may not be desirable, and there may be settings that put the chain at an extreme angle leading to failure. For flower drum gearboxes and gearboxes, manufacturers usually specify a range. For example, the 14-speed Rohloff has a range of 526% , while the Pinion P1.12 has a range of 600% .
Why would I use it?
The gearshift system was invented to make riding more efficient. Imagine that to climb a hill at a very fast speed, you have to push very hard. If you use a lower gear, the force on the pedals will decrease and the pedaling frequency will increase. In each case, the work is roughly the same. According to the law of thermodynamics, the work done is equal to the force times the distance, so if you want to halve the input force, you need to double the step frequency. And the strength of the legs or knees is limited, to a certain point when the best shift to reduce the power output to increase the step frequency, relatively light force that is relatively fast step frequency can effectively slow the knee wear. Of course, fast pedaling to a certain extent leads to inefficiency, or even loss of balance, at this time there is no point in changing gear again. But you'll soon find a way to balance power and cadence, with smooth pedaling and good power output. In general, the ideal pedal speed is between 70 and 100 rpm.
When should I change gear?
The key to shifting gears is anticipation. Try to predict how the speed will change and how you might need to shift gears. When you reach a tight corner, expect to slow down and shift into lower gear to accelerate out more easily. If you're riding uphill or against the wind, it makes sense to lower your gear, knowing that it's going to be tough. Similarly, if you need to stop at a traffic light, switch to a more relaxed gear to make it easier to start when the light turns green. A big no-no when using a gearbox is that you should not change gears when the external gearbox is at rest. Because of its design principles, be sure to change gears and find the right gear when you are pedaling smoothly. Another thing to avoid is chain crisscrossing. If you have multiple disc stops, it's best to avoid small-small or large-tooth disc-flywheel combinations. The extreme angle of the chain may cause the transmission system to wear out and break. In contrast, flower drum transmission system or gearbox can usually be static when the shift. On the contrary, they are often very sensitive to shifting under load, so a slight reduction in pedaling during the shift will help.
How to clean the drive system?
The key to keeping transmission systems in good working order is to ensure that they are kept clean and well maintained. A clean bike keeps your bike in tip-top shape and helps you anticipate problems when you're cleaning. As we have already explained, gear shift systems tend to be low maintenance, but there is also a need to pay attention to the tension of the cable, which will stretch over time. From a long-term perspective, such maintenance results are outstanding, good maintenance for the whole system of the sub-components are very friendly. Regular degreasing and lubrication of the chain is also important. Finally, we recommend using a dedicated chain checker to regularly check for wear and tear. Replacing the chain is much cheaper than replacing other parts on the bike due to chain failure.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can start using your chariot and get up the hill quickly!