What Gear Do You Use?

[honos]

Gents,

This will probably sounds a silly question but I'd like to understand how people use their bike's range of gears.

What I mean is:

I've recently bought a rev3 250cc and took part in a couple of trials events, one was on dry conditions while the other in the wet, in both occasions I drove most of the stages in 1st and hardly used 2nd, is this correct?

Do any of you use 3rd and 4th gear? And if so, when? What are the advantages in using higher gears?

[gasgasthermo]

when it is realy wet and a big big clime i use 3 rd but have a gasser 125 i know some one who has a beta and he has only used 3 once the whole time he's had it he mostly uses 1 st hope this helps

Edited April 8, 2006 by gasgasthermo

[carl ekblom]

Hello

I use 2nd gear most of the time in sections. 1st gear occasionally and 3rd gear for long uphills when the grip is bad.

I friend of mine (who is a wery good rider) told me to do a lot of training i 3rd gear as this would improve my skill in using the clutch. Well I

[endo kid]

even after years of rideing i still find people ask each other at a trial what gear they used

[ham]

Don't worry about using 1st all the time ,i've been to loads of trials where every section required 1st gear.Betas have quite a torquey motor so even in 2nd the bike should be ok in tight sections.Keep practising

[2fargone]

even after years of rideing i still find people ask each other at a trial what gear they used

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I remember someone once asking a very good rider whilst queing at a section, "What gear are you in?"

"Apico" was the reply.

[jackman]

hahaha! That's hilarious!

I use 2nd gear most of the time because on the 175, 1st just doesn't have any guts to it! 2nd has unlimited grab to it and 3rd is great too. But I changed the front sprocket to a lower tooth # so I have to use higher gears... I might even bump it up a tooth because 1st is almost useless

[kinky boots]

I've got a 250 Rev3, and I rode a trial last weekend in the wet, slimey, slippy mud, and I used 1st for every single section.

I always use 1st unless there's a big climb involved. If you're in 1st you have tremendous engine braking for going downhills so you can get off the brakes (useful in the mud!). It also gives you a bit more time to do things as the bike doesn't run away with you and make you rush.

Cheers

Chris Mo.

[neonsurge]

This seems to a very common question and I don't pretend to have any answers although r2w's suggestion of "whatever is appropriate" makes sense! I will say that when I attended one of James Lampkin's school's last year he suggested that everything (on the day) apart from the bigger hill climbs should be ridden in 1st although they were mostly fairly straightforward clubman-style sections with no big steps or owt daft.

Despite Jim's good advice I ride most sections in 2nd simply because I know that I tend to ride too slowly and puling a slightly higher gear helps me to maintain a bit of momentum. I realise that this is probably the wrong thing to do but it works for me.

[essex rider]

I too always ride sections in 2nd, even more since i dropped 2 teeth from the front sprocket. It gives a good halfway between the old 1st and 2nd so it will climb aswell as having the go for a step etc