You can ride a dropped chain back on – if you’re prepared

A dropped chain can happen to the best of us. You’re happily riding along at the front of the group, you go for a front shift and boom suddenly your chain is dropped and you’re going backwards out of the group. If you’re prepared, and with a bit of practice you can fix this without getting off the bike. Here’s how….

Fix the root cause

The most important thing to say here is that with a modern-day, properly adjusted groupset, you shouldn’t drop your chain. Occasionally even with a well-adjusted front derailleur, bad things happen – a poorly timed bump in the road, a bad chain angle, or a hasty shift can all cause a dropped chain. If you are seeing regular chain drops – visit your mechanic and have the front derailleur properly adjusted.

Fit a chain catcher

A chain catcher is a device that makes it impossible for you to drop your chain off the little ring. They literally catch the chain if it falls off the little ring, preventing any damage to your precious carbon frame, bottom bracket and paint. They also make it incredibly easy to pedal your chain back on.

Chain catchers are relatively cheap, and in my view, essential equipment. There are a variety of styles. If you are running a round seat tube like me, I use and recommend the Deda Dog Fang. Another option I have used and can recommend is a K-Edge chain catcher. These are trickier to set up than the dog fang, but once installed they work very reliably. Talk to your friendly bike mechanic about his preferred chain catcher. If he tells you that you don’t need a chain catcher, ask him if he remembers Andy Schleck in the 2010 tour and “chain gate”.

Don’t panic – keep pedalling

Ok, you’re riding along, you’ve gone for a front shift, and you’ve dropped a chain. First things first, don’t panic. Let those around you know that you’ve dropped your chain. Slide over to the side of the group, out of the line of riders – that should stop riders crashing into the back of you. Keep pedalling – with light pressure and low cadence. If you can’t pedal, something bad has happened – you will need to stop and take a look at what’s going on.

Shift away from the chain

Now that you’re in some clear space, and pedalling slowly, look down and see where your chain is and shift away from the chain. If the chain has fallen off the little ring – shift into the big ring. If the chain has fallen off the outside of the big ring – shift into the little ring. Do these shifts with light pedal pressure and low cadence. If at any point you can’t turn the pedals with light pressure you need to stop and see why the chain is stuck.

If the first attempt to ride the chain back on doesn’t work, try again. It might take a few attempts to get the chain back on, but 95% of the time you should be able to ride the chain back on.