Hi,

I am newbie to cycling who just bought a basic Aleoca bike from Carrefour. Can someone pls advise me how to change gears? There is a L (low?) shifter on the left handlebar, and a H(high?) shifter on the right handlebar. On the L, the dots are in ascending order of size, and the H dots are in descending order of size.
Thanks in advance for help!


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Just go cycle around the void deck n twist the barrel, they're wat we call shifters.
After some fiddling, you'll find out how they work n why we twist them.
Make sure YOU ARE PEDALING as you twist or un-twist the barrel shifters. Without pedaling the shifting will not work.
Play with the barrel shifter on the Right handlebar first. If u'r reasonably stable on a bicycle, can look down at the gears n chain as you twist e shifter. The system is quite easy to understand.

If we'r to explain in detail the whys, whats n when, etc. of using n selecting the gears, you may get completely confused. So I guess a simple trial n error 1st might help better.
After trying it out, come in n seek more answers.
Happy Riding.

when climbing a mountain or slop,u can only change the rear gear.. the front gear would not engage no matter how much u want it to. hope this helps.

scoop your front D spoil ar? or your rear D? what you mean wont engage no matter how you try? :huh:

rear dee spoilt la..
as in when u climb slope, no matter how many attempt to change the gear for the front dee. u will not be able to right ? or dose this apply to me only

For the front dee, if we want the shifting to be sleek we'll have to lighten up with our pedal stroke as we work the shifter.
While climbing, we put alot of force on the chain n chainrings, so trying to de-rail the chain to the next ring will be like mincing bones in a grinder.

But sometimes we just need to get it done.
So the way to do it is to try pedal a strong stroke 1st, den allow the bike to roll a little with a light stroke as we trigger the shifter.
The idea is to release the tight tension of the chain on the chainring (as we climb), so it can be coax into the next ring by the front dee. While we cycle on flat, there isn't so much tension against the chainring, so shifting is sleeker compared to while climbing.

Usually, either flat or climbing, moving down the middle ring from the big chainrings is easier. From the middle to small, we'll require the front dee to be set well. Some setups do have problems droppin to small rings when even slight force is applied on climbs. I'd guess it's something to do with BB spindle length.

theroy over the forum are usually quite confusing. Do join us for our rides which can be found at the Events & Happenings section. It's easier to learn when we guide you along during rides. :cheers:

& if u need to upload pictures, try this.. www.photobucket.com

Tks guys for all the help and explanation. Will hope to join u guys soon!

ok from what i know left handle is the front gear....right handle is the rear gear.....
my settings is like i put mid gear for the rear.....and i put high for the front

my question for u guys is that do u guys adjust the front gear or the rear gear when going upslope? my guess is that is front....

u guys care to discuss on this?.....im a biking noob but im relatively pro at bodybuilding haha....

small infront n ard the 3rd gear at the back. then again its self prefence. if u find it easier to go up on a certain gear ratio then thats it.

My suggestion is

If you're still new to all these gears thingy, maybe just leave the front one in the middle gear. (We call it middle chain ring)
Then, cycle around be it trail or park or road, and only shift the Right side (which is the rear gears).
Get a hang of it and very soon you'll come up with a few favourite gear numbers.
Once you know whats happening, then try use the 3 front chainrings (Left shifter).

Note: Cycling is not so much about using muscle to get the bike moving. A muscular guy may have enuf power to force the bike up a hill, but its no guarantee the components can handle the power.
Maybe its more about a balance between momentum n muscle?