Originally Posted by
tracyfrombklyn
I do keep my ulock and a bag in a front basket, so maybe that's contributing to the problem. I'll ask the bike shop. Thanks. At least I know I should have it looked at again.
What Drew meant by "shifting with a load" is that you're shifting while pedalling hard (uphill or accelerating, for example), he didn't mean that you're carrying too much stuff. While shifting slow down your pedalling, then resume your normal pedalling when the chain is done shifting gears.
And it's normal being slow at first, don't let it discourage you!