Landrider Gear System

Question: I received a Landrider bike for a Christmas gift. I am 65 years old and I have been riding for over 20 years. I have participated in numerous cross country bike rides. Over the years I have had a Motobecane, Trek, Schwinn. I am not a winter rider, so I have only ridden the Landrider twice. I am planning to Bike the Great Allegheny Passage this summer. How does the Landrider rank? I really like being able to shift my gears whenever I feel the need to.

Hi Zee,

Good for you, you obviously you know your stuff and have had some smart bikes in the past and the Great Allegheny Passage ride sounds like fun. I know what you mean about winter riding, it takes a bit of the fun out of your cycling.

OK the Landrider Bikes, you don't say which one of the range you have, but the gear system works the same way with an Autoshift technology. Landrider claim that their system keeps you in the right gear by centrifugal force, when the wheel spins faster, two flyweights on the rear derailleur spin faster, moving the chain to a higher gear and then when you slow down the opposite happens and it changes to a lower gear, so you don't have to do anything.

You say you really like to be able to change gears when you feel the need to. This is also our thoughts on the Autoshift system, you need to change gear before you hit the bottom of a hill and sometimes before the top, as you know you also have to change gear as you are climbing when you find a hill harder or easier than you expected. My other thought is that not every rider pedals at the same pace, some people like to push a bigger gear and others prefer to spin. When you freewheel down a hill I would think the Autoshift will change to a bigger gear, so this could possibly put you in the wrong gear if you hit another hill straight away.

These are only our thoughts and on a flat or undulating road there would be no problem, so don't let us put you off, as it is a good bike. I think you should give it a try and then tell us what you think!

Good luck with your ride, I'm sure you will enjoy it.