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

[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!

[SportySam]

I wasn't sure if my chain was long...just certain times the chain doesn't catch the so I kind of slip...I AM NOT explaining this well...sorry. It doesn't seem to catch the front chain ring. I will bring it to my LBS and see what she says.

[Reesha]

Don't mind her random caps locks people, she has message board tourettes

She's my real life BFF, and very new to the message board thing.

[SportySam]

I Like All Caps! It Fits With My Bubbly Personality. So Not Anger...excitement!

[aicabsolut]

If you mean that you have trouble getting the chain to get into the big ring (but it shifts ok on the rear gears) then there are 2 likely options. One is that the front derailleur cable is too loose. You can tighten it at the barrel adjuster on the downtube by turning it counterclockwise. Try one partial turn (there are knobs on the barrel) at at time. If after a few turns this doesn't fix the problem, then the upper limit needs to be examined. You can look up instructions on the Park Tools website or go to the LBS for an adjustment. Note that often it will shift ok on a stand (at the LBS) but has trouble under load (when you're on it), so it's nice to teach yourself how to do this. Do not loosen (or tighten, but in this case you'd loosen it) the limit more than about 1/8 of a turn at a time.

Also, cables do not stretch. If they are truly stretching, then they are probably fraying and/or slipping and are about to blow. This happens at the end of cable life, not at the beginning. Symptoms might be repeated spontaneous loss of cable tension. What happens with new cables is that they become more firmly seated in the housing over the first several rides just due to normal tension after installation. If you have persistent problems with "cable stretch" symptoms, then you might want to remove tension from the cable by shifting into the smallest ring and cog and loosening the barrel adjusters and the cable at the pinch bolt, then yank sideways fairly hard on the problem cable where it runs along the underneath of the downtube. Use a fourth hand tool or clamp to re-tighten the cable tension at least most of the way and then re-index (get proper tightness) using the barrel adjusters.