Advice on changing gears

[Racingsnail]

Morning everyone.

I ride only MTB, but this query might be for both road and MTB.

The scenario is...you approach a climb in your big chain ring and middle on the back chain ring. When your caddence begins to drop due to the incline, is it better to change to the middle chain ring in the front or change through the gears on the back?

Which way causes the most wear and tear? I know you should be selecting the gear early and preparing yourself for the climb, but there are many instances where the climb comes out of no where.

Any advice?

[TNT1]

Change before your cadence drops.

[AndreZA]

Depending on how long the climb is. If it is long I would drop to middle infront. That way you've got the full 9 gears to work through. I've got the habit on road and MTB to change one sometimes two gears down at the back when ever I drop to a smaller ring infront. With that you can continue at almost the same effort.