Bicycle Mechanics - Chain derails going from small to big ring

Hi all,

I have a Surly Pacer with the following drive train components:

Shimano 105 10 speed STI shifters
Shimano Ultegra front and rear 10 speed dérailleurs
Shimano Ultegra 9 speed crank set
Stronglight 9/10 speed compatible chain rings
shimano 10 speed chain
Shimano Ultegra 10 speed cassette

All components are new except for the shifters which I got used.
The cables and housing are brand new.

Here is my issue:
When the bike is in my repair stand it shifts perfectly, but when I use the bike in the trainer or on the road I always have an issue with shifting from little to big ring, sometimes it derails, sometimes it shifts but takes a couple of rotations of the crank to complete the shift. I have the limit screw set so it can't fall to the outside, so it falls off to the inside. I originally had a 9 speed 105 front dérailleur but just changed that to an Ultegra 10 speed front dérailleur in hopes that was the issue, but I still had trouble shifting on my ride this past weekend. I followed the park tool website step by step. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Sometimes a visual depiction is better then a written one:

http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-front-derailer/

Have you tried adding tension to the cable?
Was the shifter in its lowest position when the cable was attached?
Is the derailleur low enough? Or too low? (unlikely)

I had a very similar problem with a Specialized triple crank- when I tried to shift into the middle gear from the granny, it often would skate over the teeth of the middle gear, then drop right off to the inside. A "dog fang" did no good, neither did any adjustment I could do. I changed to some nice Ultegra chainrings, and the problem went away completely. I suggest you might try a new quality matched set of pinned and ramped chainrings. Maybe a buddy has a set you can borrow to test.

Squeazel makes a good point. Ramped and pinned Shimano (or similar) chainrings would probably shift better.