Quote Originally Posted by thekarens View Post
Thanks for the suggestions. I should have thought of that. One of our local clubs is having a beginner ride (with trainer suggestions) this coming Saturday, so I think I'll attend that and see what they have coming up as far as clinics go.

2 is the middle crank ring, so I was on that one and switched to 1, which is the little one when the chain dropped. I think I'm going to take it back to the shop here very soon because several of the gears sounded "crunchy." I'm guessing they aren't getting in all the way.
It sounds to me like you were shifting under load, which will cause your chain get thrown off the front, and sounds "crunchy". This is a common beginner mistake. It's not a bike problem, it's an operator problem. You can also break chains this way, or worst of worst, cause chain suck. If you are applying power to the pedals and shift while applying power, this is shifting under load. The trick is to back off on the power, almost like a pause, and then shift down. This is called "soft pedal shifting".

I second a skills clinic. Know basic techniques for riding can really help you feel more confident.