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Anticipation Shift

Rollin rollers into the sunset. Photo via @fabbricadellabici

I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? We are getting soft… As for me, give me a fixed gear!

– Henri Desgrange

Whenever I encounter a challenging thought or idea, I recoil instinctively. On impulse, I assume I’m an expert in the matter and proceed as usual, no worse for the wear. The secret to success is your ability to overcome adversity, after all. Another secret to success, if we are allowed two on the same day, is to always take the advice of people on the internet, so long as you sort through all the opinions and cherry-pick the ones you already agreed with.

While I’m not an expert on taking advice, I am a bit of a virtuosity when it comes to the matter of giving it – especially when it is unsolicited. Please note, however, that while I am not drunk, I have a bit of a nasty case of manflu, a fact which I am certain will make me even more trustworthy.

As any fool can see, poor old Henri – however brilliant he was – was completely bonkers (genius and insanity often occupy the same mind). Despite that, there is a thread of truth to his reasoning, which is to say that gears are often used as a psychological tool rather than a mechanical one in order to tackle the various gradients we encounter during our rides.

We typically encounter a hill from some distance off, rearing up as though some careless road engineer had forgotten to tack the other end down. And, more often than not, we respond with the impulse to deploy the Anticipation Shift: downshifting prematurely in response to the sight of a big climb. Click-click-click-click, right down the block to whatever gear you imagine you’ll need in order to ride to the top of a hill whose gradient you can’t accurately judge and whose summit you likely can’t see. And just like that, all your momentum is gone and you’re left to fulfill your own prophecy of laboring with the gear all the way to the tippy top top of the climb.

To be fair, shifting is a bit of a dark art and takes ages to master. When to shift and when to power through is something one should feel, never see. There is either a laboring or an ease in your stroke that informs whether you should change gear. Please consult the below list for some tips on how to avoid the Anticipation Shift.*

The point of shifting is to maintain your cadence and spare the guns from overheating and causing a meltdown in the Engine Room. With that in mind, never shift more than one gear at a time, unless you know something specific about the climb that merits a bigger jump. If you are changing front chain rings, do so together with a synchronized two-cog shift of the rear in the opposite direction. (If you have widely spaced gears, one cog in the back might be enough.) **
Shift whenever you sense you are losing the ability to smoothly turn the gear over, never before. Smoothly is the operative word here; if you fall behind the gear, you will heap coals on the fire, burn the guns, and overheat the engine room. If you get ahead of the gear, you risk upsetting your rhythm by spinning more thereby putting additional strain on your lungs, which you will experience as acute pain.
If you encounter a short uptick in gradient, you have the choice to power over or to downshift and spin up it. This decision will involve a quick assessment of how closely the Man with the Hammer is lurking. If you have the juice, power over. You can even jump out of the saddle for a little extra V. This will keep your speed up and keep you from having to accelerate again after the pitch.
Always hit a climb at full gas, as fast as you can go – especially if you are coming off a descent and especially – especially – when you are completely jacked. Use your momentum to carry you as far up the climb as you can, get out of the saddle and slowly downshift as the speed scrubs and the guns lose their ability to smoothly turn the gear over.
The fifth bullet is here more for symmetry than anything else, but I’ll use this opportunity to remind you that shifting is the Domain of the Sissy, so if you can avoid it, please do.

* While these points hold true for any kind of riding, they are focussed on climbing.

** Remember, you can’t boast about climbing in the big ring on a compact; it’s only a big ring if it has more than 50 teeth, in which case it’s an outer ring.

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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frank says:

Nov 5 2015 at 10:21 am

@Al__S

there’s a short climb here that’s a favourite of club runs that unfortunately requires an anticipation shift. there’s no safe way to approach it at speed, as it’s a side road on a blind junction. To make matters worse, it’s usually taken as a right turn (UK, so we ride/drive on the left) and rears to 100% almost immediately.

I hate those climbs, just BAM, low gear and no mo'. A struggle from the bottom. There are a few like that that we do here in Seattle on the Ronde Cogal where we go straight into 20+% gradients on cobbles from a stop sign.

In fact, the “club run” bit brings a whole further factor into play of group etiquette. Sometimes it’s fine to attack the group and ride at your own pace- but not always. There’s a time and place where one would be an arse to attack. Shift down, keep the cadence up and pace weaker riders up.

This gets into a bigger scope, but for sure it's a very good point. Rule #2 and Rule #3 fall into play here as well.
frank says:

Nov 5 2015 at 10:27 am

@nobby

I was once told my a gnarled old roadie (back in the day when I was a kindergarten student of V) that, rather than habitually shifting to a lower gear at the foot of a hill, you should shift UP and hit it in a slightly stiffer gear than your mind feels is appropriate. This gives you strength and also deals a hammer blow to the feeble minds of your fellow riders.

good article Frank, as always

Yes, absolutely. In fact, I significantly improved my power since riding with Johan Museeuw the first time and watching him climb in monster gears. It's not always faster, but it really helps you gain strength. When actually trying to go fast, you might spin more, but the power will having you chewing up rises and rollers like a champ.

@Teocalli

It’s all relative of course but the devil in me grins when my normal buddy clicks down so I don’t but rather I pedal a just a bit harder. Just makes that elastic snap “ping” sound all the nicer.

Click down last click up first.

I love this.

@AJ

“** Remember, you can’t boast about climbing in the big ring on a compact; it’s only a big ring if it has more than 50 teeth, in which case it’s an outer ring.”

So my 52/50 oval ring is only a big ring for half the stroke? Which would mean I could only ever do half a climb “in the big ring”? I think this makes me sad.

Well, your oval ring should make you sad in principle, but I suppose whatever the effective gear size is would determine your Sissy Factor.
frank says:

Nov 5 2015 at 10:29 am

@Ron

What is the feeling on downshifting at intersections/stop signs/commuter trail crossings?

I prefer a rather low tempo most of the time, around 80-90. I don’t like to be cruising along at that rate, have to stop or slow considerably, and downshift so that I get going and am spinning like crazy. I prefer to stay in the same gear and just stand as I get going again.

What is the protocol in these situations? (and I’m not talking some knee shattering high gear, just something between the low and high ends)

First of all, don't roll through - stop, or at least get so slow that everyone at the intersection knows you're stopping in spirit, if not reality.

Track stands seem pointless, but I suggest you learn how to do one, just so you can roll up, do a quick stop, and keep rolling.

And always downshift for a stop sign and stand on the pedals to get going.

But for fucks sake: Be Casually Deliberate.
frank says:

Nov 5 2015 at 10:33 am

@Ron

@RobSandy

@Ron

What is the feeling on downshifting at intersections/stop signs/commuter trail crossings?

What is the protocol in these situations?

Don’t kill anyone. Including yourself.

I can do that! This time of year though I really, really loathe motorists who refused to turn their lights on in driving rainstorms or when it’s essentially dark out.

I had a guy nearly hit me on a greenway because he felt it was crucial to pull out even though the driving lane was full of traffic. So he pulled into the bike lane and I had to do a full emergency stop to avoid him, which meant actually sliding on a locked front wheel (very leafy and wet out here these days) with the back wheel off the ground. I normally don't engage drivers for the knowledge that it will only make things worse, but his window was down so I calmly told him that he really put me in danger and that this is a bike lane, not a car lane. And I quote, "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!!!"
frank says:

Nov 5 2015 at 10:34 am

@VbyV

I have a trick I use to maintain momentum and challenge myself on uphills. When there’s a dip and you can wring out the block and make it to tuck before the uphill, decide how many strokes per gear you will take. Ride the big ring and little cog cog as long as possible, when the legs can’t hold cadence, shift down one and make 8 (magnificent, of course) strokes. Shift down one and take eight more. Keep doing this until the crest. Next time, try to take 10 strokes in each gear. Soon you’ll be pushing over the crest on the 11.

Interesting approach. This circumvents the principle of not shifting until you feel you're getting behind the gear, but I like the strength training aspect. I will try this and report back.
Gianni says:

Nov 5 2015 at 11:30 am

Shit. Does Campy make a 51 tooth chainring and can I afford it? In my mind I'm still crushing the big ring (50) and I refer to it as a big ring mostly to bug Frank.
DeKerr says:

Nov 5 2015 at 12:02 pm

@frank

@Al__S

there’s a short climb here that’s a favourite of club runs that unfortunately requires an anticipation shift. there’s no safe way to approach it at speed, as it’s a side road on a blind junction. To make matters worse, it’s usually taken as a right turn (UK, so we ride/drive on the left) and rears to 100% almost immediately.

I hate those climbs, just BAM, low gear and no mo’. A struggle from the bottom. There are a few like that that we do here in Seattle on the Ronde Cogal where we go straight into 20+% gradients on cobbles from a stop sign.

There's a corner in Deep Cove just as nasty, the only advantage being that a right turn in Canada isn't across traffic so if you approach it heading South it is only slightly less painful. The main problem (self-inflicted) is the doughnut stop that usually precedes it.
Ron says:

Nov 5 2015 at 12:09 pm

I was mainly talking about my daily commute on a low-volume MUP. My question was mainly - to downshift or not? And the answer is Yes.
Ccos says:

Nov 5 2015 at 12:27 pm

@frank

@pistard

Regarding the fifth bullet: I thought we’d gotten beyond derogatory terms for the developmentally challenged.

We can’t call people sissies anymore? I think someone needs the Rule #5 talk.

They've just changed the medical diagnostic codes (expanding the list mightily). My biggest complaint is they got rid of moron and idiot which were honest to God medical diagnosis (diagnosi?).

I never had the balls to code for them but have had plenty of opportunities.
Sparty says:

Nov 5 2015 at 4:55 pm

What type of climbs are you monsters mashing up in the big ring? Your knees are still attached come the finish? When we plan to climb, the route takes us up and over several category 4s, 3s and 2s in a day. The pace is not civilized either. Other than the 4s, no one is in the big ring for the entire day unless they have a death wish. We have a special route here aptly named the Seven Climbs of Death. Even the elite racers in our group will not big ring it - not sure if any of us can and live to tell about it after 128kms. I am considered a climber in my group but I must actually be a wee sprout. I am removing my inner ring this evening. That will teach me.