The front shifter on my road bike stopped working after the bike sat for a month+ without use and the bike is stuck in the big ring. I live on a steep hill and am recovering from an injury, so I have to use the low end of the cassette a lot. After riding in this configuration for about two weeks the bike (3x8) is happiest in the largest 5 cogs (gears 1-5) and I hear lots of rubbing when using the high end. I need the low end to get home, so ive kept my speed down and don't use the high end.


My question is this, if I tried to use the high end aswell will that accelerate the wear on my gears to the point where they just need to be replaced? Naively, I think i've got the bike in a state where although its chronically cross chained there isn't significant friction and I hope that once the front shifter gets fixed it will be alright. I'm worried about the chain slipping off my gears when I get this fixed if i'm not gentle enough in the interim.