Reverence: The Double Shift

Jan Janssen, a master of the double-shift.

There was a time when shifting was an art. Friction down-tube shifters required a finess and a light touch of the fingers; a slight overshift to pop the chain onto the cog, and then ease the shifter forward to rest the chain perfectly in its place. Over time, and with the advancement of technology, the art has slipped out of shifting, first with index shifters, then with STI and Ergo shifters – until finally, with Shimano’s Di2 electronic drivetrain, the rider is completely removed from the act of changing gears.

For those of us still riding cable-powered drivetrains, there is still one artform remaining: The Double-Shift. As I approach a climb, I start to tingle with anticipation as the road starts to point upward and I feel the pressure in my legs growing. I’ll gradually shift into lower gears as the gradient increases until I start to near the end of the cluster. Enter the Double-shift, my favorite of shifts. On my Campy Ergos, I just pop both the Go-Buttons at exactly the same time, dropping the chain onto the inner ring in front and dropping it down one gear in back, making a perfectly smooth transition to the next gear. (The Double-Shift on STI is still possible, but feels somehow less dignified.)

When executed properly, it all passes so smoothly and silently that you hardly noticed a thing; the only clue being that moments ago, you were slightly over-geared and now you are in the small ring and pedalling smoothly. It is also a gamble; the change in chain tension in the Double Shift is prone drop the chain entirely; resulting in a catastrophic flail to get the chain back on, either through a front dérailleur Hail-Mary, or a full stop to right the chain onto its ring.

Indeed, it is a thing to cherish, the perfect double shift, and I’m not ashamed to say I congratulate myself with every successful execution.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

frank says:

Jul 12 2010 at 5:34 pm

@Joshua
What was your proposed Rule again? You can't call someone a pussy for riding in the little ring unless they're using their little ring?

Ouch.
Joshua says:

Jul 12 2010 at 6:12 pm

Indeed it was. And to be fair to you, Le Frank, I did use my little ring on the Lighthouse,and you still managed to get that fat ass of yours out of the saddle to catch me. Well played.
frank says:

Jul 12 2010 at 6:24 pm

@Joshua
I just put it in a gear less and went Steady Up With More Speed.
wvcycling says:

Jul 12 2010 at 9:23 pm

@frank "It is also a gamble; the change in chain tension in the Double Shift is prone drop the chain entirely"

I recently decided to HTFU and change out my 34t inner with a 36t, and shifting (SRAM Rival '09) in the front has never felt crisper, faster, or ?smarter?! I do miss lacking those two extra teeth on a steep climb, but I tell myself that I am more of a man for doing it. That and for $10, it was a steal.
Marcus says:

Jul 12 2010 at 9:35 pm

@wvcycling
More of a man moving from a 34t to 36t?

Kinda like a girl feels a bit manly when she wears pants?
wvcycling says:

Jul 13 2010 at 10:53 am

@Marcus

Oh man, that was harsh... But kinda true :(
ben says:

Jul 13 2010 at 11:25 am

Marcus :@wvcycling
More of a man moving from a 34t to 36t?
Kinda like a girl feels a bit manly when she wears pants?

Aw c'mon now, he does live in West (by god!) Virginia, where most of the roads were cut so steep to keep the miners from climbing out of their Company Towns.
Marcus says:

Jul 13 2010 at 4:08 pm

@wvcycling
I'm almost sorry VW, but not really.

Because of the photo of the chick on your posts, I always happily thought your posts were written by a velomihottie. You then revealed yourself as a bloke and I felt compelled to strike out at someone - you. Have you seen the Crying Game?
Cyclops says:

Nov 5 2010 at 7:21 am

I got Schleck'd by the double shift last night. We have this little subdivision on the edge of town built on the side of a hill with a couple of clicks of 15% grade wandering around through it and I went for the double shift and got hosed. I was trying to get "unhosed" as I lost all my momentum but to no avail and I fell over clipped in. A very small scratch on the tip of my new Force shifter. I'm pissed. I think a little 600 grit wet/dry and a quick shot of clear and nobody will be none the wiser though.
nvvelominati says:

Nov 5 2010 at 8:50 am

We use clean nail polish on our carbon ski poles to fix little nicks. Frank can probably concur.