Just got my road bike....last week...chain issues...

[SportySam]

So...I am fairly new to road biking. I have a specialized hardrock WSD and love it, but I am trying to lose weight and get into running and planning to run a 5K in the next few months and I wanted something different...so I bought a road bike and LOVE it. I bought the Specialized Dolce Triple.

The only problem I have is that the chain sometimes doesn't catch when I change gears...what do I do? Is this normal? Let me know what you think.

S

(28.6 pounds down and counting!)

[Savra]

Hello - I lurk often but rarely post anything but here - I have those exact same bikes - from the Specialized Hardrock right to the Dolce. The Dolce seems to come with shifting issues. I had the same problem. My LBS kept fixing it (once they stopped telling me it was all in my head) but it would go back to either losing the chain going from the granny gear up or just not wanting to shift into the highest gear. I finally switched to a compact double and all problems went away (of course). I hope you have better luck than I did.

[maryellen]

Congratulations! It's pretty typical for a new bike to need adjustments at the beginning. I had the same exact experience when I got my road bike a few years ago. Assuming the bike is reasonably lubed and clean, you probably just need a minor adjustment. Take it to the shop where you purchased it and they should take care of it for free. This will be a great opp for you to get to know the mechanics better.

[SportySam]

Congratulations! It's pretty typical for a new bike to need adjustments at the beginning. I had the same exact experience when I got my road bike a few years ago. Assuming the bike is reasonably lubed and clean, you probably just need a minor adjustment. Take it to the shop where you purchased it and they should take care of it for free. This will be a great opp for you to get to know the mechanics better.

That really helps....It also seems that the chain is a tad loose...since I am new to biking...can they tighten the chain? Or does it not work that way?

[maryellen]

Our more mechanically oriented members can chime in here but I think the mechanic might adjust the rear derailleur (the mechanism that "picks" up the chain and moves it when you shift) to address this. A decent mechanic will know exactly what to do.

[OakLeaf]

Did you buy the bike new? Did you change the gearing? If the chain and cogs are as they came from the factory, it would be extremely unlikely that the chain is too long. The first illustration on this page shows how to determine whether a chain is too long.

Is that what you're experiencing? (Note that the mechanic shifts the bike into these gear combinations ONLY to test chain length, and they should not be used in general, because of the stress on your chain; hopefully your LBS explained that to you! )

If not, why do you think your chain is too long? If by "not catching" you mean the chain is rattling in several gears rather than positively engaging a cog, then you likely need a cable adjustment - as Maryellen said, new cables do stretch and need to be tightened several times over the first few hundred miles. Hopefully your LBS offers a break-in service that includes adjusting all your cables. If you do it yourself or ask a friend to do it, don't neglect your brake cables. If it's rattling only in a lowest or highest gear, or coming off the cog entirely, then the limit screws may not be set correctly.

[Reesha]

Yeah take it to your bike shop, it happened with both my mountain and road bikes when I first had them. I also find that sometimes I have a hard time getting into the big ring in the front if I'm in certain gears in the rear so I need to shift on the right side a gear or two and then shift into the big ring. Probably means it's time for a tune up, but in the middle of a long ride I've got work with it!