Knowing how the gears on your bike work will add enjoyment to your riding. By understanding the fundamentals you’ll be able to better select the right gear for the right terrain, which will help you to maintain an efficient pedaling cadence on both climbs and flats, whether you’re looking to keep pace on a club run or you're out for a relaxing solo ride.
This knowledge can also help you choose the right gearing set-up for you. In this article we’ll cover the basics of a typical road bike groupset whether it’s Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo. We’ll break down the differences between the various chainset types, that's the big ring or rings by the cranks, as well as looking at gravel bike variations, including 1x set-ups, and options such as hub gears. We’ll also dig into the variables of 10, 11, 12 and 13-speed groupsets to help you decide which is best for your riding.
