Hi all! I just got my road bike about a month ago now, and I'm loving it! I'm doing great on rides that are flat or with small rolling hills (I'm in N. Texas, and that's mostly what we have here!). However, I'm noticing a problem with larger hills and my shifting. I'm not sure if it's user error or if I should bring the bike in for adjustment. Thought I'd ask you all and get your opinions before I load it up and take it to the lbs again.

My high gears work great, and when approaching a hill, I'm fine. But when I start the hill and try to go to a lower gear, my gears pop out. All you hear is this horrible clanking and popping and it's just a mess. Of course, I can't get up the hill because my bike won't stay in gear. It's very frustrating!

I have a Specialized Dolce. This seems to happen whether I'm downshifting on the left or right, but I typically tend to start with the right. Am I doing this wrong? No one really taught me the best way to do it...

Does this sound like user error - am I shifting incorrectly? Or do you think I need something adjusted on the bike?

Thank you so much!