How/when to change gears in mountain cross
- Thread starter dv8cam
- Start date
First of all, please keep in mind that I am no fast 4X racer by any means. I do, however, have some pretty fast friends. A lot of them have told me that they usually are in one gear to start, shift once when they get up to speed, and then keep it there.
This is of course barring any unforseen incidents like coming to a complete stop for some reason or another.
This is of course barring any unforseen incidents like coming to a complete stop for some reason or another.
The one thing I have learned from gate starts, is that the first gear matters most. the bmx bike i practiced it on had a 39-16 (20"wheels mind you) and i felt it sprinted off the bat GREAT. so I ride around, until i feel a gear that needs some power put into it, but can spin out for a little bit. thats the gear you start in.
different courses will require different shifting, but thats pretty obvious.
I shift just after I land a jump. if you land where you should, that force will accelerate you and you will coast for the first vbit of the landing.. then need more gear.
just give it a shot, and practice.
different courses will require different shifting, but thats pretty obvious.
I shift just after I land a jump. if you land where you should, that force will accelerate you and you will coast for the first vbit of the landing.. then need more gear.
just give it a shot, and practice.
practice with different gears for starts, and see what gives you the best acceleration for a few pedal strokes, making sure you use a gear you can ACCELERATE with, not one that is easy to pedal right out of the gate. This means you will snap out of the gate and get about 4-5 pedal strokes and then switch gears. Make sure you are in a hard enough gear to make all the jumps and so you can pin it on the landing. Don't be in too high a gear out of turns, because you will get bogged down. All and all, practice will tell you what feels right for certain size jumps and turns. You will probably only use 3-4 gears in a run max, shifting up and down between them if it's tight, or rip through them if it's a fast course.
How about the actual act of changing gears? I can't seem to get s mooth shift while sprinting. Seems like gears are only happy changing if you pedal easy while sitting versus crunching while standing.So how do you shift without sitting? Or do you wait to grab a momentary seat while railing a turn?
I think you are over analyzing the Sea Otter Mountain Cross. 2 years ago, I raced mountain cross on a single-speed hardtail with Tioga Comp 3 BMX tires. Just ride what you have, and have fun. And shift when it feels necessary.
If you can't get a smooth shift while sprinting, just do the obvious and let up. Momentarily soften your pedal stroke long enough for you to hit the trigger (or twist) and then resume. Don't stop pedaling, just ease up for a split second as the bike shifts.
I'm no crosser and have absolutely no experience with this, more of a question than a suggestion but don't some people shift while they're in the air? I am always seeing people pedaling in the air and just guessed that they were shifting.
I have been doing a bunch of training this winter at the indoor BMX track. I totally agree with the comment above that if you let up to shift, your done. Since the track has a steep starting hill, I start in a fairly hard gear to pedal. Then I pedal my ass off. I try to shift either: in the air, just after landing a jump, or going into a corner. Good BMX racers will spin a 150 cadence with no problem.
Normally at the point that you are hitting the jump, you are at a near top speed and don't need to shift. (i'm a DHer NOT MX racer but i do ride the courses when i get a shot)
I believe people pedal in the air because it's cool. it's hard to do and people love to see it.
That kinda depends on how long the straight is and where the jump is located.
And yes, it does look cool to pedal in the air.
Try it sometime. You will feel the bike surge ahead when you land. It makes a more dramatic affect if you do it on a DH bike with heavy tires.
for smooth shifting, I make tha move when the power is least at the pedals. I am right foot forward, so right at the end of my right pedal stroke, right before the left is about to come down, thats the least powerful moment. shift there, so the gear is 'in' by the time your power foot is about to crank.
i have no idea how metal did on his ss but i know he is one of the fastest people i have seen ride and that includes the fastest college kids in the nation
oh yeah and i shift once but i was racing on my DH bike this last season and im by no means a fast 4x racer
That year I was racing Expert 19-29 and made it to the round of 8. I was definetly one of the faster people in that class, but some guy got on the side of me on a straight and pretty much ran me off the course.
Well, I did have 2 working brakes.
They never said anything aobut not having gears. I guess if I would have won, someone would have bitched about it, but I didn't so no one seemed to care.
My point was that if you ease of for a whole second, you eased off too long. The idea is just to slightly soften the stroke as it shifts. If you can't get the bike to shift well under power, what else is there to do? Be in the totally wrong gear? I'd rather lose .25 seconds of pedaling than be in a useless gear.
Personally, I just use Metal's strategy: shift when necessary.
Mann, just pedal ure ass off none stop, shift when u feel, and if u aint doing well just keep riding.. ride ride ride, and stop trying to blame ure gears 
James
James
if you set up your drivetrain right and it's in good working condition, you will be able to shift smooth enough while pedaling hard. that's why people like fast, crisp shifting. you absolutely DO NOT want to let off your power to shift. i for one, definitely shift and pedal in the air when it's necessary. for example, if it's a big step down or something and you're going to be going a lot faster when you're landing and you want power when you land, then shift up. if it's a double into a flat forner or a tight berm and you're going to be going slower after the jump than you were before, shift down in the air. you dont really need to pedal in the air to get it to shift. it will shift when you start pedaling. pedaling in the air just makes it shift smoother and allow you to get that quarter second of more power when you start pedaling on the ground.