Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.

New: Take part in the November Giveaway for a fully customizable Villy Custom cruiser bike


Put gear in high when parking bike?
#1
Hi

I have a bike with 8 gears (outside), and I'm just wondering..

Is it always best to put the gear in highest position (where there is least cabel tension) when parking the bike - or is the gear cable normally strong so this does not matter at all?

Thanks
  Reply
#2
Awesome question! Smile Would have to say less stress is best. As with any metal stress pulls to stretch the cable (many strands put together) so I guess if one relieves the stress off of it then it would make it last longer.

If I am thinking silly today please someone come along and correct me lol Tongue .

Bill
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
  Reply
#3
I generally put the bike in the gear I like to start... a habit I try to form because of triathlon, where it sucks if the gear you start in is too high. Especially if you try to do the first transition barefooted and leave the shoes clipped in the bike.

From a mechanical point of view, I'd say that the shifter cables are stretched mostly during the first days / weeks of riding. After that, they lengthen only marginally. The most likely cause of cable failure is corrosion. So your method would only work it the cables are completely enclosed, otherwise the corrosion of cable / casing will lead to degraded shifting performance (as well as broken cables) much faster than the stress caused by the tension.
  Reply
#4
Yeah, I have to agree. "Stretch" isn't what wears out cables. It's corrosion, getting crimped as the housing wears out, etc. Anyway, I suspect the wear put on the cables is vastly higher when you actually shift than it is just sitting under tension. So leave it in the gear you will start off in and save a shift. Worry about taking care of the parts that are hard or expensive to replace (like your knees).
  Reply
#5
Yeah this shouldn't matter much. Not on this ol' bike anyway hehe. Just wondering..

I'm going middle way and setting the gear to 3 or 4.

Wouldn't it be smarter if tension on bike gears was reversed? You leave it in 1st and you want to start in 1st. So 1st gear should be without tension imo.

Thanks all! Smile
  Reply
#6
(11-24-2009, 06:20 PM)ohmish Wrote:  Yeah this shouldn't matter much. Not on this ol' bike anyway hehe. Just wondering..

I'm going middle way and setting the gear to 3 or 4.

Wouldn't it be smarter if tension on bike gears was reversed? You leave it in 1st and you want to start in 1st. So 1st gear should be without tension imo.

Thanks all! Smile

Yeah, remember a few years ago Shimano tried that on the XTR kit. Turns out it SUCKED. But a worthwhile experiment, anyway.
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
  Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread
Author
Replies
Views
Last Post

Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
How to refurbish a bicycle 101
Yesterday 12:37 PM
Is The Cycling Industry Ripping Us Off?
12-08-2023 11:30 PM
Is there a way to get a bike on lease wi...
12-08-2023 07:29 PM
My rides !!
12-08-2023 06:53 AM
New User
12-07-2023 09:20 AM
Presentation
12-07-2023 08:03 AM
Post-Ride Nutrition
12-07-2023 07:12 AM
Experiences with TPU tubes (especially C...
12-06-2023 08:41 PM
1989 Miyata Skyrunner
12-06-2023 06:51 AM
Man on e-bicycle, Fire, pregnant woman!
12-06-2023 05:57 AM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. ichitan
38 posts
no avatar 2. GirishH
26 posts
no avatar 3. enkei
10 posts
no avatar 4. ReapThaWhirlwind
10 posts
no avatar 5. Hania
9 posts