EEEEEKKK! My chain came off

[madscot13]

I wouldn't say inexperience is the cause. I think experience can curtail it sometimes, but I've seen very experienced cyclists drop their chain.

[lph]

Oooh, pretty red bike, oooh...

I drop my chain all the time. I usually adjust my own gears and I was a bit sloppy last time and I've been too lazy to do anything about it so if I gear up a bit too vigorously in front I hear a familiar rattle-rattle as the chain falls off the front, hopefully not followed by a clank! as the chain gets stuck on a sticking out bolt head. Most times I can get it back on w/o stopping by carefully backpedalling and then gearing down again.

Notice that the long arm on your rear derailleur provides tension to the chain, and that it can be moved back and forth manually. You'll get a bit oily, but if you drop the chain again you can just push the arm forward a little to give some slack and weasel the chain back on the smallest gear in front (gear down to that gear in front first).

Actually, re-reading that's exactly what madscot said, just with a lot fewer words.

Beautiful photos!

[Mr. Bloom]

I wouldn't say inexperience is the cause. I think experience can curtail it sometimes, but I've seen very experienced cyclists drop their chain.

I agree...before the "third eye", I regularly dropped my chain...and sometimes it wasn't even my fault although the time I bent the chain ring at the Hilly Hundred, it was clearly my fault

I think it's great what you're doing! But remember, cycling doesn't have to be solitary...

My saddle is wearing a shower cap since rain was threatening. There was another bus passenger who was also wearing the same shower cap. How very odd.

That's a classic I will remember for a long time

[OakLeaf]

Nice piccies!

And at the risk of stating the obvious - because it can be easy to forget when you're trying to work quickly -

keep your fingers out of the area where they can get caught between the chain and the chainring! If you HAVE to touch the part of the chain that's feeding into the chainring, just keep two fingers on the side plates.

[mimitabby]

I love your photos! Chestnut HILL road, eh? does that tell us something about the terrain in which you are commuting?
Don't be afraid of shifting with the left hand, as a matter of fact, I encourage you to try it, maybe in a school yard or someplace where you feel really safe. Particularly if you are riding in hilly terrain,you might discover that using these other gears can be a real boon.

[Crankin]

Mimi just said what I was going to say. If you start using your granny gear (easiest ring on the front/left), you will get up those hills. Practice in a parking lot or other small street and go through all of the gears. You will soon find out what all of the sweet spots are.

You can get the chain back on by quickly getting the front (left) gear into the big ring (hardest gear) and pedaling hard. I have done this a few times, without even unclipping and it works.

[SouthernBelle]

It's much more difficult to hurt your bike than you think. Heaven knows I've tried.

[pardes]

Mimi just said what I was going to say. If you start using your granny gear (easiest ring on the front/left), you will get up those hills. Practice in a parking lot or other small street and go through all of the gears. You will soon find out what all of the sweet spots are.

Wait a minute, Crankin....are you saying that I'm not already using the granny gear?????? And that there are easier gears than what I'm using????

Okay so there is a shifter on the left with three steps and there is a shifter on the right with nine steps. If the indicator line on the left shifter is set all the way to the right, and the indicator line on the right shifter is set all the way to the right, doesn't that mean it's the granny gear?

Mr. Silver. I think it's great what you're doing! But remember, cycling doesn't have to be solitary...

This is a serious biking area. I need to build up more stamina before I can keep up with the "beginners" in these groups. The typical "easy" rides average between 10-15 mph for a few hours at a time. I'm almost there but not quite.

[mimitabby]

I'm not familiar with your shifters, but I looked at the photo of your bike on the bus and it looked to me as if your chain was on the middle gear (in the front) the biggest one is for going the fastest IN THE FRONT and the smallest one in the front is for climbing hills.
In the back, it is the opposite. the biggest gear is for the hardest climbs, and you will move the slowest.