Cannondale Bicycles - Manual (Page 60)

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2) Shifting the Front Derailleur:
The front derailleur, which is controlled by the left shifter, shifts the
chain between the larger and smaller chainrings. Shifting the chain
onto a smaller chainring makes pedaling easier (a
downshift ).
Shifting to a larger chainring makes pedaling harder (an upshift ).
b) Which gear should I be in?
The combination of largest rear, smallest front gears (Fig. 19) is
for the steepest hills. The smallest rear, largest front combination
(Fig. 19) is for the greatest speed. It is not necessary to shift gears in
sequence. Instead, find the “starting gear” which is right for your level
of ability -- a gear which is hard enough for quick acceleration but easy
enough to let you start from a stop without wobbling -- and experiment
with upshifting and downshifting to get a feel for the different gear
combinations. At first, practice shifting where there are no obstacles,
hazards or other traffic, until you've built up your confidence. Once
you've learned the basics, experience will teach you which gear is
appropriate for which condition, and practice will help you shift
smoothly and at precisely the optimum moment.
speed
hills
fig. 19 Chain
2000 owner's manual 10/27/99 10/27/99 11:16 AM Page 56