I go mountain biking and occasionally I hit downhill sections where often time my chain falls off?

What kind of chain arrangement should I use to minimize my chain from falling off all the time. Also should I cycle my pedals to minimize losing my chain? any other tips? thanks

Yep....shift onto the big ring or go up a few cogs in back. That will put a little more tension on the rear derailleur which sometimes helps.

If you keep throwing the chain, you have a few options. The cheapest would be to pick up a Blackspire Stinger chainguide for $20. It will mount behind your bb fixed cup (or iscg mounts if you have them) and you can still shift up front. http://www.go-ride.com/ProductDetail.jsp...

Another option is to get a rear derailleur with a stronger spring. An LX mid-cage is pretty impressive, but you'd have to watch your shifting patterns if you went mid-cage. The new Shadow XT derailleur is down to about $80 now and it's SWEET....might solve your problem altogether.

For more money, you could buy a full-on chainguide system and never throw a chain again. They're heavy and finicky to set up sometimes, so I'd let that be a last resort.

I wouldn't bother shortening the chain unless it's too long to begin with. Shortening it won't make the derailleur spring any stronger than it is, and you'll still throw chains. Try the shifting changes first, then look into a Stinger guide. Good luck! :o)

the harder the gear you ride in will make the chain tighter therefore make it harder for the chain to jump off....
Im guessing it happens on the front chainrings!?
depending on what gearing you have... a single chainring on the front you could easily fit a chain guide to it to keep it steady and not fall off.
if u have the usual 3 chainrings its a bit more of a pain to stop... you can try adjust the limits on the front derailleur to stop it jumping over each side or just shorten the chain a little.
basically tho try harder gears to start off!

When going downhill, stick your chain in the big ring. This will add tension tot he chain and keep it from bouncing around all the time. A little extra insurance would be to give a pedal stroke or two every so often to make sure it's still on the rings.