Better to downshift for stops (shifter wear & tear) or not (chain strain)?

G

Gazzy

Member
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USA
I'm wondering which is the lower maintenance option. If I downshift at stops, lots more wear & tear on the shifter. If I don't downshift and start in a lower gear, lots more strain on the chain at those low speeds. Which is the better alternative? Mid-drive bike with a Bosch motor and Shimano 1X10 drivetrain.
 
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Almost nothing to wear out on the "shifter". But I don't know if you mean the shifter on the handlebars, the cable, or the derailleur. Chain wear comes from not keeping it lubed and harsh shifting under power. Down shifting is not as hard on components as up shifting under heavy pedaling load.
 
Gazzy said:
If I downshift at stops, lots more wear & tear on the shifter. If I don't downshift and start in a lower gear, lots more strain on the chain at those low speeds.
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What wears out on the "shifter" is the little wheels on the takeup. About 10000 miles the teeth wear off. They would wear whatever speed the sprocket is in, because of passage of chain over the wheels.
I've worn the pivots of the front deralleur in ~8000 miles, SRAM. I hardly ever use that one, but it got where it wouldn't do all three speeds due to slop in the holes. I've never worn the pivots of a rear derailleur out. I have damaged the takeup by running a stick through the cage. People pile sticks on the sidewalk & bike path for the garbage in my city. I don't always dodge into the car lane and never into the ditch.
I lube my chain biweekly, shift every stop sign or traffic light, and my chain still wears out in ~5000 miles. Others posting wear numbers are usually lower mileage. One bike wore the tips of the middle rear sprocket off in ~10000 miles, the speed I rode in the most. Chain started popping over and skipping. I wasn't checking the chain for stretch in those days. I've got ~10000 miles on my current bike, ~5000 on the second chain, and the rear sprockets look fine. Front too. I'm using more electricity from the hub motor these days, after covid19 damaged my lungs. Times over a known distance have increased. Maybe that's why the second chain isn't worn out yet.
 
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Are we talking about a hub driven bike, or a mid drive?

Then, we need to know how big a hurry are you in when taking off?
 
I shift a ton. I learned when riding a recumbent you had to shift well. so I bet I shift hundreds of times a day. after 8000 miles I had to replace the cable and 14k the housing and cable. but this is on a xt setup. but still even the lowest end should last thousands of miles.
 
It's fairly obvious, if you;re a long term bike rider. When you start out in the bigger, easy to pedal gears, it's less strain on your leh muscles. If you have a mid drive motor, you're helping the motor out. If you do this with a hubmotor, and pedal at the same time, you're also putting less strain on that motor.
 
harryS said:
It's fairly obvious, if you;re a long term bike rider. When you start out in the bigger, easy to pedal gears, it's less strain on your leh muscles. If you have a mid drive motor, you're helping the motor out. If you do this with a hubmotor, and pedal at the same time, you're also putting less strain on that motor.
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plus you can accelerate far faster too.
 
It depends upon the situation. It depends upon which gear I’m in. Assuming a top 3 gear, I try to always downshift to about gear 4 of 10 when I know there’s a stop. if I’m already in, a mid gear I usually don’t bother. The difference between 4 and 6 is minor.

When it’s an unexpected stop and I’m in a higher gear, I downshift on the fist few turns of the pedals So I can get going without straining the drive chain. Having a motor really helps, here. Getting going on an analog bike stuck in a high gear can be dangerous.

Until recently, my cars had manual transmissions, so shifting is second nature.
 
That's where a throttle rules. I can be in whatever gear I choose when I come to a stop and then use a second or two of throttle to get rolling again. Pretty much the only reason to use one.
 
Gazzy said:
Mid-drive, and not in a hurry.
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So lot's of opinions already. Mine is, as long as you aren't overwhelming the motor or controller with high amperage demands (like might happen when you are in a hurry) do anything you like. Hopefully you have a watt meter that's easy to monitor? If that's the case, and you limit the watts in use to no more than what you might see when cruising, you're fine. No need to shift any lower....until you ARE in a hurry.
 
the disadvantage is if you don't shift is you cant peddle efficiency. a bike is designed to be low impact exercise. if your working hard to get going its not efficient. the faster you can peddle the more effort you can put out.
 
fooferdoggie said:
the disadvantage is if you don't shift is you cant peddle efficiency. a bike is designed to be low impact exercise. if your working hard to get going its not efficient. the faster you can peddle the more effort you can put out.
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Or not!!! This is not just about you! I'm sure many will agree with you, but it IS a case of different strokes/priorities.
Exercise is nice, just like fresh air, but it's darn sure no priority here. I ride mostly because I want to..... for the hell of it!
 
AHicks said:
Or not!!! This is not just about you! I'm sure many will agree with you, but it IS a case of different strokes/priorities.
Exercise is nice, just like fresh air, but it's darn sure no priority here. I ride mostly because I want to..... for the hell of it!
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thats not what I am saying I am saying if you push hard at low rpms it is not good for your knees its hard on them. bikes are designed to be easy on your body.
 
fooferdoggie said:
thats not what I am saying I am saying if you push hard at low rpms it is not good for your knees its hard on them. bikes are designed to be easy on your body.
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Not going to disagree, but I think the point was regarding a situation where there's no hurry? How hard are you pushing when you aren't in a hurry? Me? Not very hard....
 
AHicks said:
Not going to disagree, but I think the point was regarding a situation where there's no hurry? How hard are you pushing when you aren't in a hurry? Me? Not very hard....
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I push when I start cause it's fun. I don't drive so its my speed thrill.
 
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