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

[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.

[Zen]

Another possible reason is you may not be throwing the shift lever over far enough.
Do you have any problems with reaching the levers?

[aicabsolut]

hmm... or is it that there's a lag dropping into a smaller chainring? That might feel more like a slip. That could be too tight of a cable, a lower limit on the FD that's not set right, or you're shifting from the wrong rear gear (too high on the cassette towards big cogs will mean that there's a huge drop in chain tension such that the shift may not feel smooth or you can drop the chain...too low on the cassette towards the small cogs means that the FD has a hard time pushing the chain to the smaller ring and so the shift is sluggish).

[TrekTheKaty]

My new bike came with a free tune-up. Call ahead. If you stop by when they are not busy, they will be more patient and willing to answer all your questions.

[alimey]

A couple of things spring to mind. I am thinking that the issue is that the chain doesn't climb smoothly/quickly onto the large chainring at the front? if that is the case - read on, if not - please ignore.

Firstly, don't gently stroke the paddle to change up. Make it a fairly brusque and definite change and at the same time ease off some but not all of the pressure on the pedals.

If that doesn't help then it's likely the cable is a little loose - or that the upper end stop screw has been set a bit conservatively. It's very easy to start messing around with cable tensions/end stops & get into a right mess. If you are fairly mechanical I would ask the mechanic at the shop to show you how it works (buying the small Park Tools book is also an excellent idea).

Finally, I'm afraid triples don't shift up front as smoothly as compact doubles do. And compact doubles don't shift as well as racing doubles. But you do get the benefit of a really wide range of gears (esp. very low gears). I would suggest you get very adept at both adjusting it & doing good positive changes. Much longer term a compact double is easier (& a little lighter) - but the shop should be able to make the triple work reliably if not perfectly crisply.

Good luck.

[TrekTheKaty]

Finally, I'm afraid triples don't shift up front as smoothly as compact doubles do. And compact doubles don't shift as well as racing doubles. But you do get the benefit of a really wide range of gears (esp. very low gears). I would suggest you get very adept at both adjusting it & doing good positive changes. Much longer term a compact double is easier (& a little lighter) - but the shop should be able to make the triple work reliably if not perfectly crisply.

Good luck.

Triples don't shift as well as doubles? Dang. Guess I will have to upgrade.