Question

[bcipam]

Dropping a chain maybe operator error.

For instance, if you have 3 rings up front and 9 or 10 rings in your rear cassette and you want to move from say the middle to your granny ring up front, your chain should be in the middle somewhere of the rear cassette. If you use all the cassette rings (ie cross-chain) before shifting rings up front (ie the chain is on or near the largest cassette ring in the rear), you will cause the chain to drop. Someone before mentioned a flight deck computer. They can only be used with Shimano Ultegra or Dura Ace components but if your bike has that, the computer is good to show you where you are on the cassette.

Just remember to plan alittle for hills and drop down to granny before you really have to start cranking. It's better on the bike anyway and should prevent dropped chains.

* * *

Editing to add - you need to educate yourself on cross-chaining. It's not an efficient way to ride and will cause maintenance problems. Either askt he bike shop for information or do some online research.

Also you can shift while pedaling - under load means you should have shifted awhile back. Try to move the gears up and down to maintain a steady pace and cadence and pressure. If your cadence starts to slow down, say on a hill, you should immediately shift to an easier gear to maintain a steady cadence. If your cadence goes from 80 to 50 before shifting, you waited to long to shift. Chain droppage is inevitable!