I love my blaster but I have the same problem...My solution is to save up and get a 4 stroke (probably a Raptor). Switching to a 4 stroke will pretty much solve every issue you speak of in this thread. As it was explained to me "Get a 700 Raptor...when you think it wont make it up the hill and you think you have to downshift...it will just keep going and you probably don't even need to downshift." It also has a much longer wheelbase than the Blaster so your wife won't have as many problems keeping the front wheels on the ground on the hill climbs. As for the chain/gearing questions it is always recommended that the chain, sprockets, and rollers are all replaced at the same time so they are all new to prevent odd wear on any of them.