Bicycle Mechanics - Chain skipping

Help a newbie out! I have a new Gary Fisher Nirvana which works geat except for the chain is skipping in low gear (small front chain ring, largest rear gear). I am fairly new to cycling and we have some pretty steep hills where I ride (Mammoth Cave National Park area), so from time to time I have to use the lowest gear on some of the hills. The rear derailleur is a shimano deor. I have taken it to the LBS and they adjusted it, but it seems worse now. Is this a chain problem or a derailleur problem? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

A couple of possibilities are a bad chain link, or perhaps autoshifting.

To check for bad links, turn the pedals backwards and watch the chain feed through the jockey wheels in the rear derailleur. If a link is stuck it will jump a little bit. You can add a bit of oil and work the link a bit with your hands (hint: latex medical gloves help here) to free it up.

For autoshifting, oil the spot where the derailleur cable passes through a guide under the bottom bracket.

Also be sure to consult the late and revered Sheldon Brown's advice: http://www.sheldonbrown.com

Is the Gary Fisher new, or just new to you?

it is brand new, I just bought it three or four weeks ago.

it is brand new, I just bought it three or four weeks ago.

You have two options:

1) Learn how to fix the problem yourself
2) Bring it back to the shop

I'd suggest going with 2 at the moment unless you are already semi-proficient with bicycle mechanics.

i am having the same problem with my 2-week old gary fisher kaitai with a deore rear derailleur. just in that same gear.

did you find a solution?

I took it back and got it adjusted again. By now, I have learned how to adjust my rear derailleur and I don't have many of those problems anymore. I have learned that it just takes a while to get a brand new bike dialed in. Just adjust it yourself or take it to your LBS and I am sure that it should be fine! Best of luck and I hope that you get as many good miles out of your kaitai as I have out of my Nirvana.

BTW, I loved the Nirvana so much that this past year, I went and bought a Gary Fisher Wahoo. It is awesome! I think that you get way more than you pay for with the Gary Fishers.

By now, I have learned how to adjust my rear derailleur and I don't have many of those problems anymore.

BINGO!! This is the best solution you can find. There will always be some fine tuning with a new bike or even a bike with some miles as you adjust to compensate for wear. Learning these routine sort of fixes is an important part of being able to enjoy your rides and not make multiple visits for mundane tasks. Before learning bicycle mechanics, I was glad when shops offered free adjustments for one year or longer when a new bike is purchased. I now say "Thanks for the offer" but never take it in. It takes more time to drive it there and back on the car than it does to do a tune up.