Change Gear Like A Pro | How To Change Gear On A Mountain Bike

Crunching through the gears on your mountain bike not only sounds terrible, it can also ruin your expensive drivetrain. Here are a few pointers that will get you shifting gears like a pro 🤘
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Pre ride checks to ensure your gears are set up correctly; getting to know your MTBs gearing; and backing off the power when making the shift will all help move up and down the cassette smoothly.
#gears #shifting #theperfectshift #gmbn #mountainbiking #mountainbike #mtb #bikelife #cycling
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Leave us a comment below!

[@gmbn]

Have you accidentally crunched through the gears on your mountain bike? Let us know 👇

[@Adthin]

Global Mountain Bike Network nope

[@alistercawthorne1896]

Yes...a lot!!!

[@BuffTip]

I have a pinion gearbox so no lol

[@haydndrew2056]

No.

[@yayeet1766]

Absolutely.

[@RobRealistic]

My bike and I are watching this. We keep arguing who is at fault.

[@calvinjohnjagorin628]

HAHAHAHAHA WTH LOL

[@calvinjohnjagorin628]

nice one dude

[@calvinjohnjagorin628]

me also

[@calvinjohnjagorin628]

I mean us XD

[@colmanoflynn5367]

Gay Jeongyeon ur weird

[@asianR53]

When shifting, keep pedaling, but don't put power on the pedal

[@haustierone]

great they did a video about this, right ? ... not sure whats going on at the moment, usually i watch every video but this and the one before were just .. well, i dont thumb up

[@policies8534]

Yeah just keep your pedals momentum to shift, I hope everyone does this 😬

[@jeromereyes6798]

can i shift fd and rd at the same time?

[@foulninjaplayz5297]

@@jeromereyes6798 oo pwede lol

[@etooamill9528]

@@jeromereyes6798 better not to do so

[@bananasstuff3344]

My derailleur needs to watch this video

[@victoriathegreencheekconur5477]

bananas stuff hahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahhahahhhahahhahha

[@youtubeuser1334]

LMAO

[@bhaskar2ndacc230]

Muhahahahahaha

[@bbuueennnoo]

That means you don't know how to shift properly

[@bananasstuff3344]

@@bbuueennnoo firstly, I made this comment a year ago, so whatever, that was my previous bike, which didn't shift very well as we had to bodge the shifter with duct tape. Secondly, why did you even need to make this comment, it was completely unnecessary

[@yayeet1766]

Neil doesn’t look like an ex enduro pro, he looks like an enduro pro.

[@haydndrew2056]

Jao Bärney he looks more like a show off than anything else

[@yayeet1766]

xD

[@mikieson]

@@haydndrew2056 I hope you are kidding

[@jesusmerkel]

@@haydndrew2056 so your saying you can ride as good as him

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

If he’s an enduro pro he would be in podium. Lol

[@mdr6294]

I’m in my 50’s and last time I have ridden bikes was when I was in my teens. And now I just got a used bike and will try to ride again.

[@bobby3704]

50's is still full of energy .. good job ! i replaced my straight bars with some kick azz bmx bars the look and ride is bad azz highly recommend .

[@nicekid9593]

Thats dangerous Edit: For ur heart. Look it up here in youtube "does cycling damage heart"..

[@curtisf.r6233]

Good on ya👍😎, will increase your fitness. Hows yr riding comin along now?🍻

[@fiftyfreestylin]

@@bobby3704 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ2lY6iHeaqdpKM. Bought the OM Duro two years ago. Ride it everywhere in Marin California with my kids. Upright, comfortable and BMX style Mt Bike. SOooo good. Doesn't replace my road frames or 1x12 proper mt bike...but I ride the OM Duro the most of any of my bikes by FAR. Simply kicks ass.

[@bobby3704]

@@fiftyfreestylin noiice ! ! ! that's what i'm talkin about !

[@joppek77]

Another tip: with enough practice, it's possible to learn how to time your shifts so that the actual chain "hop" occurs at the top of a pedal stroke. This is when you'll naturally have low power and the shift will happen with a smooth "click" even if you're powering uphill. The timing depends on your current gear: a small sprocket will shift faster and a bigger one slower. This makes is a difficult skill to master, but very satisfying once it works. :-)

[@tankizoltan1752]

Level: expert

[@tankizoltan1752]

It's probably not just made like that. May be worth having it checked.

[@TTTtowelythetowelTTT]

@Anoniem I got a sram nx and it shifts fast in any gear. In the big cog it takes a little bit more time as there are a lot of teeth in the chain but It's a non issue for me

[@theGiver3]

@Anoniem as i just bought a bike this week with the nx shifting system, i can confirm your shifting is seriously messed up lol, my nx shifts like a dream

[@quietgaming6915]

I just buy my first MTB now... I thought I will broke my chain when shifting gear... Now I know, lesson learned thanks 😄

[@Niloc1922]

Great tips. It's hard to describe how to shift, I feel like it just comes with experience.

[@gbthegreat]

Like a boss! Cheers dude. First time riding a bike in 35 years. Found some hilly country park and rode smoothly.

[@bencastagno5676]

What? This didn’t tell me anything about how to shift...Can anyone recommend a more beginner video?

[@yash2004veer]

Here you go - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ3Rf3apq5mDnsU

[@cheeseballs7102]

Just shift, keep pedaling, but no power on the pedals, just keep it spinning

[@cheeseballs7102]

And when you hear that the gear is changed just put power down

[@wolf3755]

You serious

[@forevercomputing]

My Tourney TX EF41-7R allows me to go down 2 or 3 depending where I am on the freewheel. When I found that, I loved my "cheap" bike more. £250 isn't exactly cheap for me for a bicycle. I figured that for best shifting and quiet shifting was best done by backing off. If it makes noise - that can never be good. I figured this out in my teenage years, 2 decades ago. I still find improvements naturally by trying different things.

[@abhishekjmadan]

Neil on flats, Blake on clips, what's happening 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[@policies8534]

“Somethings wrong i can feel it”

[@Aditya-wg3lp]

Woosh if gay u in everyone’s replys

[@Pienimusta]

Personal favourite (from history) is changing both front and rear same time under load at uphill.

[@the_spanner_ch7mp]

So I shift like a pro then 🤪 Great tips on shifting Neil. I think everyone has crunched their gears at some point. Only snapped a chain once and that was the other month with my sons tag along bike attached, we fixed it on the side of the road and carried on to go get our ice creams 👊

[@migatron1]

The King of Crunch teaching us how not to crunch :¬P

[@lukas.woerle]

Just ride singlespeed and you will never have problems with it!

[@ROBinJVILLE]

this guy has it figured out!

[@filipgreen1057]

Good luck climbing

[@lukas.woerle]

@@filipgreen1057 I'm riding DH. I don't have to climb.

[@hbk4984]

Good luck accelerating then😂😂

[@leftaroundabout]

Even safer is if you simply remove your chain! No more need for shifting, and also the pedalling will never feel to hard anymore.

[@netac7667]

That's the fourth time I have a Q about how to do something better and a day later you guys uploading a video about the exact thing I was thinking of! Are you guys reading my mind while I was sleeping?!

[@the_blair_bike_project]

😭😭 that was the most beautiful poem I've heard (today) 😜

[@markevans1259]

Ive had a couple of 1 bys but love my 2 by drop Or upshift loads of gears with a click of front dereullieur plus compensate with a couple of clicks on the rear block 🤘

[@neo49bullet]

"the perfect shift" : when GMBN becomes a perfume commercial :)

[@christianstoll8160]

I see what you mean. Just picture at the end of the black and white Tracy Hannah holds a bottle into the camera and whispers "GMBN - for riders only" or something. ROFL

[@tvchannelsshow1874]

The

[@letsgominju]

Thanks for the nice tip!

[@jerryvolpini7987]

Good tips, thanks 👍

[@palioman]

I thought i would also add 2x 3x shifting front and back simultaneously adds a lot of smoothness to the ride and few Watts too!

[@zwitch7635]

Ima warn you 2x 3x gives you chaindrops

[@polo94700]

Just what we were looking for in the csmper.

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

I have eagle 12. I rarely use all of it. Most high gear on 3 or 50 or 46 tooth.

[@M3PH11]

1:08 Also check your hub bolts are tight if you do not have fully sealed bearings in them. As the bolt backs out it starts to space out the frame little which allows the freehub to shift left/right a little which can cause iffy alignment in the gears (also if it completely fails and allows the freehub to completely separate you could end up with a broken leg/ankle)

[@th_js]

Thanks for making this, hope all the gear crunchers see this! It hurts my soul when people don't reduce power when shifting and shift way too many gears at a time.

[@gmbn]

Same Tomi!

[@rupedog]

Correctly set Eagle (and prob shimano HG2) you dont need to ease off at all.

[@DavidRIkeda]

Love this video

[@DOI_ARTS]

Thank you, I will tell my MTB about this

[@diorberisha6783]

You forgot to pull the clutch😂

[@policies8534]

A lot of people don’t understand your comment, the normies

[@frederikandersen8402]

Shushh Boi I'm a normie getting into mountain biking, pls explain. I want to be a cool kid

[@williamschultz298]

Frederik Andersen its because it has a automatic clutch

[@marjanmartinov9607]

@@frederikandersen8402 when you shift gears on a car you need to press the clutch pedal, unless it's an automatic

[@frederikandersen8402]

Marjan Martinov I know. But what does that have to do with bike gears

[@88997799]

The trick is relax the power or tension on the chain.... shift to designed gear then add power when it’s hit the correct gear.

[@unseenbirb3247]

if I'm being honest i never really knew what the different gears meant I just ridded on the hardest too pedal gear cause that's what I enjoyed and every now and then accidently pressing the gear shift and being surprised on how different it feels

[@orangejuicepony6881]

SRAM can shift down 5x at a time. You can sweep the whole cassette in two sweeps.

[@stevencole7331]

Check your chain with a chain measuring tool to see if you need to replace

[@crazy8sdrums]

Knowing what gear you should be in before you get to the place you need to be in that gear. Proactive = pro.

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Love it.

[@CarkeekW]

All Neils shifting was like music to my ears, oh wait..

[@charlouoperana3954]

i really love mountain bikes..and its my dream to have 1..=( but i cant afford to buy 1. how i wish i can have a mountain bike...

[@grangerplayz8691]

Broo no wonder I was hearing my chain clash together I thought it was something else thanks for this video I just wanted to make this comment I’m gonna watch it now hopefully it helps

[@alistercawthorne1896]

The poem gave me so much joy!

[@LazyHitman1993]

See, I take this path out in the country side of California. It has a huge steep incline! On my way up, my 2019 specialized rockhopper always slips gears. It only happens anywhere in between 3-2-1 gear. I make sure to shift gears only when it’s starting to become hard to peddle, and keep a consistent peddle rate. I then have to shift back up, then down again because it feels like the chain is gone. This usually fixes the problem. This has been an issue since day one of owning the bike. The shop claims nothing is wrong with it. Side note: I’m 6ft 8in tall and weigh 340 pounds. The bike is also an XL or whatever their biggest option is.

[@ReecePowell]

Changing gear correctly before a climb/ descent gives you the tactical advantage 🤙

[@MrGuitars8]

Great Video .

[@gmbn]

Thanks for watching Dave!

[@Gemini530]

Buying a mountain bike but I am not really taking it to mountain trails, just city biking. Where should I set the gear for flat, concrete trails? This would be for my exercise as well so I do want some resistance. And oh, just wondering. If you’re in the mountain trail and a mountain lion comes out, would your mountain bike be fast enough to escape?

[@Bo_yet]

I learned from the master again, diolch Neil 👍🏼

[@butlergl]

Good content. Anticipating ahead of the shift is key! If I have momentum I back off the pressure to downshift. Haven't seen any fun sessions for a while. How about a game of bike with Sam Pilgrim or Matt Jones? Maybe a down hill section with Ollie? I always look forward to what you post next.

[@beejabandaree6200]

My bike has LM H. Can someone help me with which size chainrings they correspond to? Would L be the biggest chainring/ front cog or would it be the smallest chainring ? Thank you

[@kriswarwick4148]

What chain lube should I be using ?

[@gregy797]

It's a dark art 😋

[@nickslosubi690]

The first person who made a bike or even thought of the idea, would have had no idea how big of an idea it was 😂

[@clinthimself1051]

My mtb came with 2 extra wheels. They're about 15cm wide and solid white... Where do these go? Also, there was a few funny flat levers and screws left after I assembled it?

[@dot7327]

2:45 LET THE FIGHT !! BEGIN !!

[@lawrence4899]

it could tear cogs break chain damage rd shifting under loads

[@robinrai4973]

all hail hyperglide 2!

[@chantaltodd8655]

When I click both gear sides once it feels like the chain isn't on the bike, it just makes it easier to pedal lol

[@fr4nz51]

When im in 2nd gear then i change to 1st gear my bike will like make some flicking noise for like 40 seconds then it will change to 1st gear

[@jaemonschultz7617]

What kind of bike do you have?

[@some19872003]

Neil i dont know where you got that sram can only down shift 1 gear at a time. my NX 1x11 can do 4 down shifts with 1 full push of the leaver. im 100% sure of this because i hate how long the reach is to down shift and sometimes i go down 2 gears while i only want 1.

[@seamus136]

Hey, Neil's Lyrik is back on his bike, from Blake's Megavalanche-proof hardtail!

[@nathanpecson9008]

seamus136 you mean blake’s hardtail? Lol

[@seamus136]

@@nathanpecson9008 oops!

[@travelpackgamerz]

Please help my Shimano back gear cannot shift to 7 the small one. And from shifting gear the chain fall down when I change to lower gear small one. How to solve this issue:

[@clarencetagon1547]

that gear jump hahaha

[@jamiecoombe2873]

Not gonna lie I cried during that poem

[@merfan8243]

On a 16 gear (1/8) mountain bike, which gear would you reccomend you should use going up hill on the road?

[@lxlxdevxlxxxlx7407]

2

[@nicklarge007]

Just like driving a car, anticipation of whats ahead and experience..

[@darkwolve]

I have Sram gearing and it will drop down 3 gears simultaneously with one whole push of the lever tho I don't ever use the entire range of it, only ever dropping a maximum of 2 at a time. Only gears up one click for one gear at a time on the up lever tho.

[@rupedog]

I think ur mixing up and down...shifting down gear is from smaller to larger cog (I.e. chain moves up the cassette), so easier to pedal. Sram has multi down shift=from harder to easier. Think of it like a car...shifting DOWN from 5th to 4th to overtake

[@Moglet71]

I was going to say I'm running the SX Eagle groupset and I can shift down up to 5 gears at a time.

[@darkwolve]

@@rupedog Uhh Nope. Not mistaking anything. I'm very aware of the workings and terminology. Example: I can drop DOWN from 4th to 1st in one full push of the lever... but will need 3 full pushes (one click per push) on the other to get back UP to 4th.

[@darkwolve]

@@Moglet71 That's what I'm running as well. 5!? Really? That's crazy.

[@DarkArtAnimations]

with my bike I could be stupid but should you keep pedaling instead of just letting the bike role when like cruising basically

[@Raijin24226]

Me watching this after a ride where I had to walk halfway through a climb because I can't get the perfect shifting

[@wandarivers2333]

What is the spoke measurement?

[@cristiantomlinson5945]

GUYS COME ON!! Great video (as always) but you’ve proper missed the beat here. Understanding exactly HOW your gears are able to shift sooo smoothly under power is KEY to learning how to do it! Often forgotten and definitely not spoken of enough, in my opinion is one of Shimano’s greatest inventions, HYPERGLIDE (debate that all you want, another story) All the tiny ramps, grooves and cuts into each and every tooth is whats makes the chain slide up and down (esp. with the new 2020 Hyperglide+) so well. It’s pretty much why, along with black wall tyres and splatter paint, that I begged my parents to buy me my first proper MTB, a 1989 Ridgeback 602lx.. (still got it!) That sexy little red sticker sucked me in bigtime😂😎😬👍💥 Sort it out chaps !

[@rewind10z]

Neil, why are you riding UP DH Men? 🤔

[@ferranization]

What's the thing do you have in the rear valve?

[@BuffTip]

ferranization it’s a tyre wiz, they did a video on it but it basically reads your tyre pressure and tells you if you should put more air in or not

[@banksbanks5461]

I have a 3x8 I was going up a hill with rocks I was headed up nice pace then when it got steeper the peddle felt little harder I stood up then all of a sudden the chain popped what’s gear should I use for the climb I had it in a light gear

[@Nuckno]

If that's the case, make sure to never cross the chain. Like, don't use the bigger gear in front with the bigger ones in the back. For a 3x8, i would do something like front (1) back (1-5), front (2) back (2-7) and front (3) back (3-8). If you were on one of these combinations and it still popped maybe some lubrication fault or it was just its time.

[@andikappradana]

Multiple chainring would help a lot in the climbing if you need really quick downshift. Never run 1x

[@zwitch7635]

Why 2x 3x gives you chaindrops 1x is the best and not complicated

[@andikappradana]

@@zwitch7635 1x is best for descending trails, less chaindrops. Multiple chainring is for mainly climbing trails (xc) because you just need to downshift the FD (big Jump=quick shift effortlessly) instead of push the RD lever multiple times.

[@igormarinkovic1531]

0:03 funniest thing ever

[@roncolincostales5832]

Hahahaha same

[@Peacemakerblue]

Im so confused I got a trek marlin 5 gen 3 bike and the higher the number the lower the gear and the lower the number the higher the gear. My bike is the opposite I don't even know what gear to be in when I'm riding

[@seasonedtoker]

Some people are natural at this. But then there are people, who just can't comprehend what means "power on/off the chain"

[@MotoAtheist]

Replace the shift cables 2 or 3 times a year? What the hell kind of mileage are you doing?

[@DaneFerolin]

Here because I blew up my chain downshifting a ton of gears climbing a huge hill

[@ajbulan2029]

0:03 damn

[@MethDuck]

Is it bad practice to shift while standing on the bike?

[@alexslomin]

I’ve been mountain biking for a long time and I have no clue what the term crunching gears means. Can someone let me know? Thanks!!

[@scentlessxapprentice]

I’m assuming it the noise the chain makes when you shift wrong.

[@zPtrck]

Or you could buy the Shimano hyperglide plus.. (7100, 8100, 9100) set...

[@randyramirez7015]

Hays, hahaha can't understand much. Haha i hope you consider putting subtitle 😆. Anyways, great biking skills

[@MicJaguar]

Standsrd WD-40 is a solvent not really meant to be a lube. I would use it tok maybe clean the chain and cabling but then go back with throttle cable lube like whats used for motorcycle throttle cables and that should work way better than WD-40 alone. But just my thoughts. I'm no expert.

[@steilkurbler4973]

Yeah, WD-40 is no lube indeed.

[@yokesandspokes]

Grind it til you find it!

[@mellissanash7517]

What about for us who still have front derailleurs?

[@Nuckno]

The same concept applies. But something i've paid attention to is to change my back gears first, then the front ones. I would say, for amateurs like me, speeding is not the priority on the ride. So i try to anticipate the climbs, change gears early and if i need to change gears on the climb, i'll try to push a little more, so i can have a little space to change gears without pedalling at full strength, making the change as smooth as possible.

[@Noob2Gnarly]

I feel like you’ve been watching me... thanks, very handy tips. Should help the journey of Noob to Gnarly :D

[@patoberli]

Replacing the shifter cable 2-3 times a year?!? How many KMs are this?

[@british_kid9374]

Should ur chain make a noise in gear 6 and 7 my bike is a 7×3

[@gursehajkhurana5673]

No

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

My Shimano xt can shift down 4 times if I push it to the end. Kinda surprised me because my deore does only to 3. I just try to shift silently so it's usually just rev matching

[@crispypotato4279]

Wait rly. My xt can only 3 down. Or maybe my thumb is too short..

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

@@crispypotato4279 yep it can go 4. But it's really far down and I can't usually do it either. I just wanted to shift 3 down so I just pushed all the way and it went 4.

[@Kudarat08]

Why there is snapping sound when i change gear on my bike...

[@vane7166]

Dude everytime i change my front gear it always make sounds pls help me

[@shamsta21]

Watch park tool vid

[@abcd969696]

Push the paddle?

[@m4gn3tic82]

So should I use the smaller gear when climbing up?

[@holyhank4519]

Lower or the biggest cog

[@Jay-we2ek]

@@holyhank4519 Depends, if it has say, three cogs on front you'd not want to be on big cog at front trying to get uphill.

[@cliffsangelsphotography]

I hit Like for that poem

[@Exalix]

What about the new Shimano 12sp Hyperglide+???

[@gmbn]

Hey Gerard, Shimano's Hyperglide+ cassettes have guide ramps on both sides of the sprockets. This will help with smooth shifting and better shifting under load but we would always suggest you back off the power a little when shifting for the smoothest of shifts. 👍

[@michael_grand]

The first clip hurt my soul

[@mutaleamukusana7066]

How can I get my Mountain climb bike?? I really need one

[@nan_f0ndler72]

Hello, love yo vids. Keep up the work

[@gmbn]

Thanks Millos! 👊

[@nan_f0ndler72]

OMG no one has ever replied to my comment especially not a KZbinr

[@gmbn]

@@nan_f0ndler72 Have a RAD day 🤘👊

[@nan_f0ndler72]

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