how to prevent dropping your chain

We have all dropped our chain while riding, it happens. One way to help avoid this problem is to plan your gear changes more carefully. Let's assume you are in the FLAT TERRAIN gear. If you see a hill approaching, take your right hand and click your derailleur so that your chain moves down the chain rings in back if it is not already there.

Imagine this chain moving away from the bike. This puts your chain on the small rings in back. Not the smallest but the next from the bottom.

As you approach the hill, continue pedaling until it is apparent you need to drop the front chain to a smaller ring. DO this FIRST before moving the back chain.

As the hill gets steeper, you can now easily move your back chain up the rings to the biggest ring for the easiest gear.

This keeps the strain on your chain to a minimum and keeps that front chain from falling off the rings.

If you move the back chain all the way up through the rings first, and then try and drop the front chain, this is when the chain drops.

Avoid this by THINKING before shifting. I know this sounds complicated but it is not.

Try it in your neighborhood, practice downshifting the back chain, then dropping the front chain then raising the back chain all the way up through the rings.

DO this several times so it becomes automatic.