The middle gear is ideal for regular or flat terrain when cycling. It provides a little bit of resistance without making it overwhelmingly hard to pedal. For a smooth ride on a flat road, you should combine the middle chain ring with one of the middle gears on the rear cassette.
For flat places, a ratio of 2.6 to 3.0 is ideal for most people. The lower value of this range, with a cadence of 90 rpm, will allow us to ride around 30km/h, while the upper, 34km/h. If you're just starting out on your adventure on a single speed or fixed gear bike, a gear ratio of around 2.7-2.8 will be ideal.
For flat terrain, a gear ratio between 2.0 to 3.0 is typically recommended, as it allows for faster speeds with less pedalling effort. For hilly terrain, a gear ratio between 1.0 to 2.0 is usually more appropriate, as it allows for easier pedalling uphill and greater control on the descent.
Typically when climbing, you'd want to put your bike in a lower gear. This will allow you to pedal easier to get over the hill. On the contrary, if you'd like to pedal fast along a flat road, shifting your bike into a high gear would be best.
The cassette's seven cogs (speeds) allow for that many ratios. The lowest gear will be number one, and the highest gear, number seven, is ideal for cruising quickly downhill or on the flat. Most children's bikes, hybrids, and city bikes these days have a 7-speed cassette.
You'll want to switch to a lower gear whenever you go uphill. If it's really steep, shift a manual all the way to first or second gear. If you have an automatic vehicle, you can switch to D1 or D2 if you have those options on your gear shift.
L stands for “low” gear, which translates to a gear setting of 1 or 2 (if you know how to drive a manual transmission) in most vehicles. When a car is in low gear, the transmission won't shift normally.
The middle gear is ideal for regular or flat terrain when cycling. It provides a little bit of resistance without making it overwhelmingly hard to pedal. For a smooth ride on a flat road, you should combine the middle chain ring with one of the middle gears on the rear cassette.
Low Gear = Easy = Good for Climbing: The “low” gear on your bike is the smallest chain ring in the front and the largest cog on your cassette (rear gears). In this position, the pedaling will be the easiest and you'll be able to pedal uphill with the smallest amount of resistance.
If it's a daily driver, chances are you'll want to keep your gear ratio at 3.23 or below for optimal performance and lower cruising RPMs. For street and strip applications, a popular choice ranges between 3.42s and 3.90s, giving you that extra oomph on the track while maintaining a tolerable cruising RPM on the street.
If you're using a manual transmission, use second or third gear when you head up a steep incline – and don't change gears once you've committed to the climb. Failed Climb: Put the vehicle in reverse to allow for natural engine braking and keep tires turning.
If the hill is steep or long, and you have a double or triple chainring set up, then use your left gear lever/shifter to drop to a smaller chainring. These are the gears at the front. Doing this will get you to a much lower, easier gear very quickly. You can then fine tune using the rear gears.
The “L” on the gear shift stands for “Low.” What is the “L” gear used for? Low gear is used when you want the engine power high and the vehicle speed low. This limits stress on your brakes while allowing you to take advantage of your car's full power in situations like towing and hilly driving.
Low gear, also known as first gear, is a mode on both manual transmissions and automatic vehicles, which restricts the amount of fuel injected into the engine. This mode helps to boost torque while decreasing engine speeds.
A lower (taller) gear ratio provides a higher top speed, and a higher (shorter) gear ratio provides faster acceleration. . Besides the gears in the transmission, there is also a gear in the rear differential. This is known as the final drive, differential gear, Crown Wheel Pinion (CWP) or ring and pinion.
The only scenario where starting in second doesn't incur more clutch wear is if you're starting on a downhill, or you're already rolling forward when you begin engaging the clutch.
Assuming that the clutch is fully releasing when you press the clutch pedal, the roughness you feel moving into first or second gear indicates the synchromesh for those gears has worn.
Pulling away in second gear is not generally recommended for engines below 1.8l. Note: Since I wrote this article there has been a revolution (ho-ho) in engine/gearbox design such that many small cars with engine sizes up to 1.6l can comfortable reach 60mph and more in second gear.
The average speed for professional cyclists while traversing on flat terrain is 25-28 mph. The average amateur cyclist travels about 17-18 mph while on flat ground.
The highest gear is when it's hardest to pedal, this will move your bike at a fast speed if cruising along on the flat. The highest gear is when the chain is on the largest cog on the front and the smallest cog on the rear.
A high gear, sometimes referred to by cyclists as a 'big gear', is optimal when descending or riding at high speeds. The highest, or biggest gear on a bicycle is achieved by combining the largest front chainring size with the smallest rear cog or sprocket — expressed as '53x11', for example.
Time for 2
Good scenarios for second gear are when you're on a slippery road and need to lower your speed for your tyres to get a better grip on the surface. You can also use 2 for engine braking downhill.
Use lower gears to go downhill
If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, use "L" or "2." However, if you do need to brake frequently, pull over if you start to smell the brakes burning. (According to the National Park Service, this will be a pungent burning smell.)
The gears determine the amount of power available from the engine. First gear provides the most pulling power but the least potential for speed, whilst fifth gear which provides the least pulling power allows the greatest range of speed.