Originally Posted by
Velo Mule
It pretty much comes down to mechanics. It would be difficult to put a cluster of gears on the crank. The other issue is that when shifting the chain on the front derailleur, it is under tension whereas when shifting on the rear the chain is slack. The most we see on the front is three chainrings.
Rear shifting is faster and more reliable because it isn't under tension and doesn't care too much about load. The basic idea is that one should be doing rear shifts much more frequently than front shifts.
Last edited by njkayaker; 07-18-23 at 09:54 AM.